Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS) Given "Buy" Rating at Berenberg Bank

Key Points

• Berenberg Bank reiterated its “Buy” rating on Marks and Spencer Group and set a GBX 480 price target, implying 32.67% upside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: six analysts rate the stock a Buy and two rate it a Hold, producing an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average target of GBX 432.50.
• Shares opened at GBX 361.80 after declining 2.5%, while insider Stuart Machin recently sold 560,402 shares for approximately £2.15 million.

Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by equities research analysts at Berenberg Bank in a research report issued on Thursday, Digital Look reports. They presently have a GBX 480 target price on the retailer's stock. Berenberg Bank's price target points to a potential upside of 32.67% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 440 price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Shore Capital Group reaffirmed a "house stock" rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a GBX 435 target price on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Marks and Spencer Group to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from GBX 440 to GBX 450 in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Marks and Spencer Group from GBX 390 to GBX 470 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marks and Spencer Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 432.50.

Marks and Spencer Group Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of LON MKS opened at GBX 361.80 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 388.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 366.38. The stock has a market cap of £7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.99. Marks and Spencer Group has a 52-week low of GBX 301.10 and a 52-week high of GBX 418.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 111.89, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marks and Spencer Group

In other news, insider Stuart Machin sold 560,402 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 384, for a total transaction of £2,151,943.68. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Marks and Spencer Group

M&S has a heritage of quality, innovation and value for money and has been voted the UK's most trusted brand. From these foundations, M&S is reshaping for sustainable profitable growth and value creation. We operate as a family of businesses, selling high-quality, great-value, own-brand products and services, alongside a carefully selected range of third-party brands. We do this through a network of stores and websites globally, and together, across our stores, support centres, warehouses and supply chain, our 65,000 colleagues serve over 30 million customers each year.

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