Essentra (LON:ESNT) Share Price Passes Below 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Essentra plc's shares have fallen below their 200-day moving average, trading at GBX 102.20 ($1.37), which is below the average of GBX 105.94 ($1.42).
• Prominent analysts have maintained a "buy" rating for Essentra, with target prices ranging from GBX 170 ($2.27) to GBX 230 ($3.07).
• Essentra reported earnings of GBX 3.40 ($0.05) per share for the last quarter, and analysts predict the company will post a total of 524.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Shares of Essentra plc (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 105.94 ($1.42) and traded as low as GBX 101 ($1.36). Essentra shares last traded at GBX 102.20 ($1.37), with a volume of 435,379 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Peel Hunt reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 230 ($3.09) price target on shares of Essentra in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 170 ($2.29) target price on shares of Essentra in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 175 ($2.35) price target on shares of Essentra in a report on Wednesday, July 30th.

Essentra Trading Up 1.0%

The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 104.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 105.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 51.89. The stock has a market capitalization of £298.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.18.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported GBX 3.40 ($0.05) EPS for the quarter. Essentra had a net margin of 1.13% and a return on equity of 1.28%. On average, research analysts expect that Essentra plc will post 524.137931 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Essentra news, insider Rowan Baker bought 10,386 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 104 ($1.40) per share, for a total transaction of £10,801.44 ($14,527.83). 0.99% 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.