Essentra (LON:ESNT) Sets New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• 52-week low: Essentra shares fell to a new 52-week low of GBX 82.60 (last at GBX 85.38) on heavy volume of 20,562,104 shares traded.
• Analyst stance: The consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of GBX 150, though individual targets range from GBX 100 to GBX 160 and several firms have recently cut targets.
• Fundamentals and insider activity: The company has a market cap of £242.79m, a very high PE of 121.98 and thin net margins (0.70%), while insiders have both sold (Scott Fawcett: 21,279 shares) and bought (Steve Good: 40,000 shares) recently and own 0.48% of the stock.

Essentra plc (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as GBX 82.60 and last traded at GBX 85.38, with a volume of 20562104 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 83.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Essentra Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 97.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 99.31. The firm has a market capitalization of £242.79 million, a PE ratio of 121.98, a PEG ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.67, a current ratio of 2.20 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported GBX 6.10 EPS for the quarter. Essentra had a net margin of 0.70% and a return on equity of 0.79%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Essentra plc will post 524.137931 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Essentra

In other Essentra news, insider Scott Fawcett sold 21,279 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 90, for a total value of £19,151.10. Also, insider Steve Good acquired 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 93 per share, with a total value of £37,200. Insiders have acquired a total of 79,354 shares of company stock valued at $7,213,799 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Essentra Company Profile

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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