WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts collectively rate WH Smith “Hold”: Four of seven covering firms recommend holding the stock, while three rate it a buy. The average 12-month price target is GBX 570.
• Several brokers recently reduced their targets, including Deutsche Bank to GBX 390 and Berenberg to GBX 420, while Canaccord and JPMorgan maintained buy-oriented ratings with targets of GBX 555 and GBX 575, respectively.
• Shares opened at GBX 391.20, near the company’s 12-month low of GBX 378.60 and below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Insiders have recently purchased shares, including a combined 40,243 shares bought by two executives at GBX 410 each.

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 570.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SMWH. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a GBX 600 price objective on shares of WH Smith in a report on Friday, June 5th. Berenberg Bank reduced their target price on WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on WH Smith from GBX 550 to GBX 390 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on WH Smith from GBX 680 to GBX 555 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 17th.

Insider Transactions at WH Smith

In other news, insider Max Izzard bought 36,585 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £149,998.50. Also, insider Situl Jobanputra purchased 3,658 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 410 per share, for a total transaction of £14,997.80. Insiders have bought 436,832 shares of company stock valued at $179,485,200 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

WH Smith Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of WH Smith stock opened at GBX 391.20 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 418.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 502.44. The firm has a market capitalization of £588.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.05, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.93. WH Smith has a 12-month low of GBX 378.60 and a 12-month high of GBX 712. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 846.40.

About WH Smith

WH Smith PLC operates as a retailer in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in two segments, Travel and High Street. The Travel segment offers news, books, and convenience for travelling customers. It operates stores in airports, hospitals, railway stations, and motorway service areas. The High Street segment sells stationery products, including greeting cards, general stationery, art and craft, and gifting products; news and impulse products, such as newspapers, magazines, confectionery, and drinks; and books.

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