Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Sets New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Bunzl shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as GBX 2,800 and last changing hands at GBX 2,793.25, up from the prior close of GBX 2,768.
• Analyst views remain mixed: four analysts rate the stock Buy, two Hold, and two Sell. Recent target changes included upgrades from JPMorgan, Citi, and RBC, while Jefferies maintained an Underperform rating.
• Bunzl has a market capitalization of approximately £8.98 billion and trades at a P/E ratio of 19.86; insider Frank van Zanten recently sold 15,000 shares, while insiders collectively own just 0.38% of the company.

Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 2,800 and last traded at GBX 2,793.25, with a volume of 1597662 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,768.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BNZL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Bunzl from GBX 2,580 to GBX 2,610 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a GBX 2,350 price objective on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a GBX 1,900 price objective on shares of Bunzl in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Bunzl from £280 to £300 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Bunzl from GBX 2,200 to GBX 2,600 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 5,956.25.

Bunzl Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 103.81, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of £8.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.32. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 2,565.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 2,340.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Bunzl news, insider Frank van Zanten sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,394, for a total transaction of £359,100. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Bunzl

Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and personal protection equipment to grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. It also provides food packaging, disposable tableware, guest amenities, catering equipment, agricultural supplies, cleaning and hygiene products, and safety items to hotels, restaurants, contract caterers, food processors, commercial growers, and the leisure sector; and gloves, boots, hard hats, ear and eye protection, and other workwear, as well as cleaning and hygiene supplies, and asset protection products to industrial and construction, and ecommerce sectors.

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