Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Marks and Spencer has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from eight brokerages, with six buys and two holds. The average 12-month price target is GBX 432.50.
• Several analysts recently raised or reaffirmed their targets, including Berenberg at GBX 480 and JPMorgan at GBX 450, while maintaining positive ratings.
• Shares opened at GBX 393.70, up 0.7%, with the stock trading above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Insider Stuart Machin recently sold 560,402 shares for approximately £2.15 million.

Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 432.50.

Several research firms have issued reports on MKS. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 440 price target on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group from GBX 415 to GBX 480 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 435 target price on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Marks and Spencer Group to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from GBX 440 to GBX 450 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 425 price target on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a research note on Monday, May 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marks and Spencer Group

In other news, insider Stuart Machin sold 560,402 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 384, for a total transaction of £2,151,943.68. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Marks and Spencer Group Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Marks and Spencer Group stock opened at GBX 393.70 on Wednesday. Marks and Spencer Group has a 1 year low of GBX 301.10 and a 1 year high of GBX 418.32. The company's fifty day simple moving average is GBX 384.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 367.58. The company has a market cap of £8.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.01, a PEG ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 111.89.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source