Franchise Brands (LON:FRAN) Shares Up 0.8% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Franchise Brands shares rose 0.8% to GBX 126 on Thursday, with trading volume up 73% to 471,441 shares versus the average session.
• Analysts hold a consensus Buy rating with an average target of GBX 197.50 (Berenberg: GBX 185; Stifel trimmed its target to GBX 210 from GBX 260).
• Insider Stephen Hemsley bought 72,500 shares at GBX 116 on March 25, and company insiders now own 31.78% of the stock.

Franchise Brands plc (LON:FRAN - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.8% on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 126 and last traded at GBX 126. 471,441 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 73% from the average session volume of 272,487 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 125.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FRAN. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 185 target price on shares of Franchise Brands in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Franchise Brands from GBX 260 to GBX 210 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Franchise Brands currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of GBX 197.50.

Franchise Brands Stock Up 0.8%

The company's 50-day moving average is GBX 125.21 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 128.96. The company has a market capitalization of £241.52 million, a PE ratio of 27.16 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 36.34, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Franchise Brands (LON:FRAN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 25th. The company reported GBX 9 EPS for the quarter. Franchise Brands had a net margin of 6.32% and a return on equity of 4.06%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Franchise Brands plc will post 11.3266098 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Stephen Hemsley acquired 72,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 116 per share, with a total value of £84,100. Company insiders own 31.78% of the company's stock.

About Franchise Brands

Franchise Brands is an international, multi-brand franchisor focused on B2B van-based service with seven franchise brands and a presence in 10 countries across the UK, North America and Europe. The Group is focused on building market-leading businesses primarily via a franchise model and has a combined network of over 600 franchisees. The Company owns several market-leading brands with long trading histories, including Pirtek in Europe, Filta, Metro Rod and Metro Plumb, all of which benefit from the Group's central support services, particularly technology, marketing, and finance.

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