Costain Group (LON:COST) Stock Price Down 17.1% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Costain Group's stock dropped by 17.1% in a single day, reaching a low of GBX 134 ($1.80) before closing at GBX 135.40 ($1.82).
• Analysts generally maintain a Moderate Buy consensus rating, with price targets ranging from GBX 150 to GBX 175.
• Insider trading activity has seen significant sales, with insiders offloading over 612,000 shares in the last 90 days, reflecting potential concerns about the company's future performance.

Costain Group PLC (LON:COST - Get Free Report) dropped 17.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as GBX 134 ($1.81) and last traded at GBX 135.40 ($1.83). Approximately 12,026,422 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 739% from the average daily volume of 1,433,124 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 163.40 ($2.21).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Costain Group from GBX 115 to GBX 150 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Costain Group from GBX 150 to GBX 175 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 162.50.

Costain Group Stock Up 1.7%

The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.86. The firm has a market capitalization of £351.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 153.01 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 125.67.

Costain Group (LON:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The company reported GBX 5.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Costain Group had a return on equity of 13.56% and a net margin of 2.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Costain Group PLC will post 13.7551582 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Costain Group

In related news, insider Kate Rock purchased 10,000 shares of Costain Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 138 per share, with a total value of £13,800. Also, insider Alex Vaughan sold 241,639 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 144, for a total value of £347,960.16. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 612,435 shares of company stock valued at $87,561,906. Insiders own 6.43% of the company's stock.

About Costain Group

Costain helps to improve people's lives by creating connected, sustainable infrastructure that enables people and the planet thrive. We shape, create and deliver pioneering solutions that transform the performance of the infrastructure ecosystem across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets.