Essentra (LON:ESNT) Given Buy Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies reissued a Buy rating on Essentra with a GBX 130 target, implying about a 51.9% upside from the recent close; MarketBeat shows a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of GBX 150 (four Buys, one Hold).
• Shares opened at GBX 85.60 with a market cap of £243.4m, but the stock trades at a high P/E of 122.3 and reported weak profitability last quarter (EPS GBX 6.10, net margin 0.7%), suggesting the valuation may be stretched despite analyst upside.
• Significant insider buying occurred—61,871 shares acquired over the last 90 days (including purchases by Rowan Baker and Steve Good)—while insiders own 0.48% of the company, which may signal insider confidence.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a report issued on Wednesday,London Stock Exchange reports. They presently have a GBX 130 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 51.87% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a GBX 160 target price on shares of Essentra in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Essentra from GBX 150 to GBX 100 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Essentra to GBX 130 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 150.

Essentra Stock Up 1.7%

Essentra stock opened at GBX 85.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of £243.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 122.29, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 97.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 99.52. Essentra has a 12 month low of GBX 83.30 and a 12 month high of GBX 123.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.67.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported GBX 6.10 EPS for the quarter. Essentra had a return on equity of 0.79% and a net margin of 0.70%. Equities analysts predict that Essentra will post 524.137931 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essentra news, insider Rowan Baker purchased 10,977 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 91 per share, for a total transaction of £9,989.07. Also, insider Steve Good purchased 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 93 per share, with a total value of £37,200. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 61,871 shares of company stock worth $5,710,261. Corporate 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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