The Weir Group PLC (LON:WEIR) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts hold a “Moderate Buy” consensus on The Weir Group, with eight buy ratings and one hold. The average 12-month price target is GBX 3,408.33, implying upside from the GBX 2,572 opening price cited in the article.
• Recent broker updates were broadly positive, including JPMorgan raising its target to GBX 3,800 and Berenberg setting a GBX 3,650 target, while Jefferies, Deutsche Bank and Citigroup maintained buy ratings.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of GBX 54.60, a 9.97% net margin and 13.45% return on equity. Insiders also purchased shares worth roughly £64,442 in total, though insider ownership remains low at 0.74%.

The Weir Group PLC (LON:WEIR - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,408.33.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 3,555 target price on shares of The Weir Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on The Weir Group from GBX 3,500 to GBX 3,800 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 3,230 price target on shares of The Weir Group in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on The Weir Group from GBX 3,150 to GBX 3,200 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 3,650 price target on shares of The Weir Group in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th.

The Weir Group Stock Performance

Shares of WEIR stock opened at GBX 2,572 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 91.54, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 2.55. The firm has a market capitalization of £6.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.09. The Weir Group has a one year low of GBX 2,254 and a one year high of GBX 3,580. The company has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 2,689.22 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 2,627.95.

The Weir Group (LON:WEIR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported GBX 54.60 earnings per share for the quarter. The Weir Group had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 13.45%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Weir Group will post 136.05 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other The Weir Group news, insider Penelope Anne Freer bought 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 2,729 per share, with a total value of £24,561. Also, insider Nick Anderson bought 1,470 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,713 per share, with a total value of £39,881.10. Insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

About The Weir Group

Founded in 1871, Weir is one of the world's leading engineering businesses with a purpose to make its mining and infrastructure customers' operations more sustainable and efficient. Weir's highly engineered technology enables critical resources to be produced using less energy, water and waste while reducing customers' total cost of ownership. Weir is ideally positioned to benefit from structural trends that support long-term demand for its technology including the need for more essential metals to support economic development and carbon transition.

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