Essentra (LON:ESNT) Stock Price Crosses Below 200 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Essentra plc (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 125.01 ($1.66) and traded as low as GBX 90 ($1.20). Essentra shares last traded at GBX 92.80 ($1.23), with a volume of 244,743 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 170 ($2.26) target price on shares of Essentra in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th.

Essentra Stock Up 2.9 %

The company has a market capitalization of £273.64 million, a PE ratio of 78.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 101.20 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 123.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 51.89.

Essentra (LON:ESNT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 19th. The company reported GBX 8.50 ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Essentra had a return on equity of 1.28% and a net margin of 1.13%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Essentra plc will post 524.137931 EPS for the current year.

Essentra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a GBX 1.55 ($0.02) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.41%. This is an increase from Essentra's previous dividend of $1.25. Essentra's payout ratio is currently 329.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rowan Baker acquired 10,036 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 104 ($1.38) per share, for a total transaction of £10,437.44 ($13,875.88). Also, insider Steve Good purchased 35,000 shares of Essentra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 109 ($1.45) per share, with a total value of £38,150 ($50,717.89). 0.99% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.