NEXT plc (LON:NXT) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts remain cautiously neutral on NEXT: Five of eight covering firms rate the stock “Hold,” while three recommend buying it. The average 12-month price target is £153.55.
• Recent broker targets range from £139 to £187, with several firms raising their targets while maintaining neutral or hold ratings.
• NEXT shares opened at £142.10, versus a 50-day moving average of £151.12 and a 200-day average of £139.62. The company reported quarterly EPS of 364.30 pence, with a 12.89% net margin and 58.63% return on equity.

Shares of NEXT plc (LON:NXT - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is £153.55.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a £140 price target on shares of NEXT in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Peel Hunt restated a "hold" rating and issued a £139 price objective on shares of NEXT in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on NEXT from £130.30 to £140.40 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and set a £187 target price on shares of NEXT in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on NEXT from £132 to £155 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th.

NEXT Price Performance

LON NXT opened at £142.10 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of £151.12 and a 200-day moving average price of £139.62. NEXT has a 52 week low of £116.15 and a 52 week high of £161.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 129.98. The firm has a market capitalization of £16.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 1.04.

NEXT (LON:NXT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 17th. The company reported GBX 364.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. NEXT had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 58.63%. Equities research analysts anticipate that NEXT will post 660.7526882 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other NEXT news, insider Jonathan Blanchard sold 18,012 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of £148.02, for a total transaction of £2,666,136.24. Also, insider Jeni Mundy purchased 160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of £155.45 per share, with a total value of £24,872. 1.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About NEXT

Founded as a tailoring business in Leeds in 1864 by Joseph Hepworth and Son, today, the company offers clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products to our UK and International customers. NEXT has over 500 stores in the United Kingdom and Eire, and over 180 franchise branches across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The company's main divisions are NEXT Online, NEXT Retail and NEXT Finance. We also launched Total Platform, an online, distribution, tech and logistics solution, in 2020.

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