Whitbread (LON:WTB) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Jefferies Financial Group Analyst Says

Key Points

• Jefferies raised Whitbread’s price target from GBX 2,280 to GBX 2,400 but maintained a “hold” rating, implying 8.69% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with Whitbread receiving an average “Moderate Buy” rating and a consensus target price of GBX 2,938.12; Citigroup has a higher GBX 3,300 target and a “buy” rating.
• Whitbread shares opened at GBX 2,628.43, while the company reported quarterly EPS of GBX 125.10 and analysts expect full-year EPS of GBX 227.19.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from GBX 2,280 to GBX 2,400 in a report issued on Wednesday, Digital Look reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target would indicate a potential downside of 8.69% from the stock's previous close.

WTB has been the topic of several other reports. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on shares of Whitbread from GBX 2,280 to GBX 2,400 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Whitbread from GBX 3,100 to GBX 3,300 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Whitbread has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 2,938.12.

Whitbread Trading Down 0.7%

WTB stock opened at GBX 2,628.43 on Wednesday. Whitbread has a one year low of GBX 2,098 and a one year high of GBX 3,175. The stock has a market cap of £4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 2,429.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 2,413.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 179.41, a current ratio of 0.33 and a quick ratio of 1.74.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 13th. The company reported GBX 125.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Whitbread had a net margin of 1.96% and a return on equity of 1.85%. Equities analysts anticipate that Whitbread will post 227.19 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Shelley Roberts bought 485 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 2,456 per share, with a total value of £11,911.60. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Whitbread Company Profile

Whitbread is the owner of Premier Inn, the UK's biggest hotel brand, with 86,000 rooms in over 850 hotels and a growing presence in Germany with 10,500 rooms in 59 hotels, offering quality accommodation at affordable prices in great locations. People are at the heart of our business. We employ over 38,000 team members in over 900 Premier Inn hotels across the UK and Germany.

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