Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (LON:RKT) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Reckitt Benckiser a “Moderate Buy” consensus: four of seven analysts rate the stock a buy, while three recommend holding it. The average 12-month price target is GBX 6,178.86.
• Recent analyst actions were mixed but included a JPMorgan upgrade in its price target from GBX 5,800 to GBX 6,500, while RBC, Berenberg, and Deutsche Bank maintained hold or sector-perform ratings.
• Insiders bought shares in August, including purchases by Gavin Patterson and Deborah Waterhouse totaling nearly £17,800. RKT opened at GBX 5,032, versus a one-year range of GBX 3,866 to GBX 6,522.92.

Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (LON:RKT - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,178.86.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on RKT. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a GBX 6,200 target price on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 5,179 to GBX 5,352 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 5,900 price target on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 5,400 target price on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 5,800 to GBX 6,500 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Reckitt Benckiser Group news, insider Gavin Patterson purchased 191 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 5,183 per share, with a total value of £9,899.53. Also, insider Deborah Waterhouse bought 152 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 5,189 per share, for a total transaction of £7,887.28. Insiders own 0.45% of the company's stock.

Reckitt Benckiser Group Price Performance

Shares of LON:RKT opened at GBX 5,032 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of £31.93 billion, a PE ratio of 11.39, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 179.24, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The business has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 5,117.84 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 4,990.43. Reckitt Benckiser Group has a 1-year low of GBX 3,866 and a 1-year high of GBX 6,522.92.

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported GBX 101.40 EPS for the quarter. Reckitt Benckiser Group had a return on equity of 42.87% and a net margin of 21.09%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Reckitt Benckiser Group will post 331.2110727 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Reckitt Benckiser Group

At Reckitt, we protect, heal and nurture. We are the company behind some of the world's best known and most trusted Health and Hygiene consumer brands. Delivering for a cleaner, healthier world requires strong brands with a global footprint. From Dettol, Lysol, Durex, Finish, Harpic and Vanish, Mucinex, Nurofen, Gaviscon, Veet and Strepsils, consumers love and rely on our brands to care for their families, as they have done for over 200 years. We use our scientific expertise and deep human understanding to develop solutions to help people improve their lives – that is why over 30 million Reckitt products are sold each day worldwide. At Reckitt, we're all making a real difference to people all over the world, every day.

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.