Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Lowers Essentra (LON:ESNT) Price Target to GBX 100

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank cut its price target on Essentra from GBX 150 to GBX 100 and kept a "hold" rating, with the new target implying roughly an 18% upside from the current price.
• Other brokers remain more bullish — Berenberg and Jefferies have "buy" ratings and RBC an "outperform" — resulting in a consensus of Moderate Buy and an average target of GBX 154.
• Shares opened at GBX 84.75 (down ~9.6%), valuing the company at ~£241m while trading at a high P/E of 121 and very low net margins; insiders have been active with recent buys and sells but own just 0.48% of stock.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from GBX 150 to GBX 100 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Digital Look reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft's price target suggests a potential upside of 18.00% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on ESNT. Berenberg Bank reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 160 target price on shares of Essentra in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Essentra to GBX 130 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Essentra in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 154.

Essentra Stock Down 9.6%

Shares of LON:ESNT opened at GBX 84.75 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.67, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of £240.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 121.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 98.44 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 99.78. Essentra has a one year low of GBX 83.50 and a one year high of GBX 123.80.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported GBX 6.10 earnings per share for the quarter. Essentra had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 0.79%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Essentra will post 524.137931 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Rowan Baker purchased 10,977 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 91 per share, for a total transaction of £9,989.07. Also, insider Scott Fawcett sold 21,279 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 90, for a total transaction of £19,151.10. Insiders purchased 61,871 shares of company stock valued at $5,710,261 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

About Essentra

Essentra plc is a leading global provider of essential components and solutions, focusing on the manufacture and distribution of plastic injection moulded, vinyl dip moulded and metal items. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Essentra's global network extends to 28 countries worldwide and includes c.3,000 employees, 14 manufacturing facilities, 26 distribution centres and 37 sales & service centres serving c.64,000 customers with a rapid supply of low cost but essential products for a variety of applications in industries such as equipment manufacturing, automotive, fabrication, electronics, medical and renewable energy.

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