Essentra (LON:ESNT) Sets New 12-Month Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Essentra's stock hit a new 52-week low of GBX 79.70 intraday and last traded at GBX 82.60 on a volume of 466,811 shares.
• Analysts have a consensus Moderate Buy rating with a consensus price target of GBX 150; recent reports show four Buy ratings and one Hold, with target revisions ranging from GBX 160 down to GBX 100.
• Notable insider buying occurred in March—Steve Good purchased 40,000 shares at GBX 93 and Kath Durrant 10,894 at GBX 91—with insiders acquiring 91,194 shares last quarter (insider ownership 0.48%).

Essentra plc (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 79.70 and last traded at GBX 82.60, with a volume of 466811 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 81.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Essentra to GBX 130 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a GBX 130 price objective on shares of Essentra in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 160 target price on shares of Essentra in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Essentra from GBX 150 to GBX 100 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Essentra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of GBX 150.

Essentra Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 92.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 97.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.20, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.67. The firm has a market capitalization of £234.87 million, a PE ratio of 118.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.90.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Essentra plc will post 524.137931 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Steve Good acquired 40,000 shares of Essentra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 93 per share, with a total value of £37,200. Also, insider Kath Durrant acquired 10,894 shares of Essentra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 91 per share, with a total value of £9,913.54. Insiders bought 91,194 shares of company stock valued at $8,208,359 in the last quarter. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.