Costain Group (LON:COST) Trading Down 15.3% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Costain Group PLC shares fell by 15.3%, trading at GBX 138.36 ($1.87) amid a significant increase in trading volume, reaching over 12 million shares.
• The company reported a net margin of 2.33% and earnings per share of GBX 5.50 for the last quarter, with analysts predicting approximately 13.76 earnings per share for the current year.
• Insider activity was notable, with two executives selling a total of 612,435 shares in the last quarter, indicating insider confidence may be waning in the company.

Costain Group PLC (LON:COST - Get Free Report) shares traded down 15.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 131.88 ($1.78) and last traded at GBX 138.36 ($1.87). 12,102,026 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 744% from the average session volume of 1,433,593 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 163.40 ($2.21).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on shares of Costain Group from GBX 150 to GBX 175 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Costain Group from GBX 115 to GBX 150 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 162.50.

Costain Group Stock Up 1.7%

The business's 50 day moving average price is GBX 153.01 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 125.85. The firm has a market capitalization of £351.42 million, a PE ratio of 11.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 2.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.86, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.40.

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

Insider Activity

In other Costain Group news, insider Kate Rock bought 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 138 per share, with a total value of £13,800. Also, insider Helen Willis sold 100,082 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 142, for a total value of £142,116.44. In the last three months, insiders have sold 612,435 shares of company stock valued at $87,561,906. Company insiders own 6.43% of the company's stock.

Costain Group Company Profile

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.