Whitbread plc (LON:WTB) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Whitbread has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from nine analysts: five recommend buying the stock and four rate it a hold. The average 12-month price target is GBX 2,970.56, above the reported opening price of GBX 2,492.
• Recent broker views remain mixed, with price targets ranging from GBX 2,250 at Jefferies to GBX 3,700 at Shore Capital; UBS maintained a buy rating with a GBX 2,975 target.
• Insiders Dominic Paul and Shelley Roberts recently bought Whitbread shares totaling approximately £29,200, while insiders collectively own 0.42% of the company.

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 2,970.56.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WTB. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Whitbread from GBX 2,050 to GBX 2,250 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Whitbread from GBX 2,815 to GBX 2,530 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "hold" rating and set a GBX 2,280 price objective on shares of Whitbread in a report on Monday, June 22nd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a GBX 2,975 target price on shares of Whitbread in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Shore Capital Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 3,700 price target on shares of Whitbread in a report on Thursday, June 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Dominic Paul bought 717 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,410 per share, for a total transaction of £17,279.70. Also, insider Shelley Roberts acquired 485 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,456 per share, with a total value of £11,911.60. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Whitbread Stock Down 0.0%

WTB opened at GBX 2,492 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 2,437.71 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 2,438.98. The company has a market cap of £4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 0.65. Whitbread has a 12 month low of GBX 2,098 and a 12 month high of GBX 3,302. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 174.28.

Whitbread Company Profile

Whitbread is the owner of Premier Inn, the UK's biggest hotel brand, with 86,000 rooms in over 850 hotels and a growing presence in Germany with 10,500 rooms in 59 hotels, offering quality accommodation at affordable prices in great locations. People are at the heart of our business. We employ over 38,000 team members in over 900 Premier Inn hotels across the UK and Germany.

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