Crest Nicholson (LON:CRST) Shares Down 42.6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares plunged 42.6% intraday to GBX 62 (from GBX 108) on heavy trading of ~32.64 million shares, a ~1,401% increase versus average volume.
• Analysts hold a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of GBX 183.33 (3 Buy, 3 Hold), while valuations show a high PE of 74.67 and 50/200-day moving averages (GBX 126.54/141.01) that are far above the current price.
• Insider activity is mixed: an insider sold 46,077 shares at GBX 151 and another bought 9,538 shares at GBX 104, with insiders owning 4.49% of the company.

Crest Nicholson Holdings plc (LON:CRST - Get Free Report) dropped 42.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 59.70 and last traded at GBX 62. Approximately 32,644,045 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1,401% from the average daily volume of 2,174,836 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 108.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 125 price target on shares of Crest Nicholson in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Crest Nicholson from GBX 205 to GBX 215 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 230 price target on shares of Crest Nicholson in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 183.33.

Crest Nicholson Stock Down 37.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.15, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of £172.52 million, a PE ratio of 74.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 126.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 141.01.

Crest Nicholson (LON:CRST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported GBX 7.80 earnings per share for the quarter. Crest Nicholson had a return on equity of 0.30% and a net margin of 0.36%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Crest Nicholson Holdings plc will post 9.0980939 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Crest Nicholson news, insider Martyn Clark sold 46,077 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 151, for a total transaction of £69,576.27. Also, insider Gillian Kent bought 9,538 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 104 per share, with a total value of £9,919.52. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 10,312 shares of company stock valued at $1,091,598. 4.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Crest Nicholson

Crest Nicholson Holdings plc engages in building residential homes in the United Kingdom. It develops and sells apartments, houses, and commercial properties. The company was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Addlestone, the United Kingdom.

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