Ibstock (LON:IBST) Shares Cross Below 50 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Ibstock shares crossed below their 50‑day moving average, trading as low as GBX 100.50 and last at GBX 105 versus the 50‑day MA of GBX 108.58 on volume of 1,246,024 shares.
• Analysts have trimmed price targets recently, but consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of GBX 135.50 (two Buy and two Hold ratings).
• The company shows stretched valuation and weak profitability (P/E 128.13, net margin 0.83%, ROE 0.79%) with modest leverage (debt/equity 44.59%); insider activity included a 20,000‑share buy and a 15,632‑share sale, and insiders own 2.26%.

Ibstock plc (LON:IBST - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 108.58 and traded as low as GBX 100.50. Ibstock shares last traded at GBX 105, with a volume of 1,246,024 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Ibstock from GBX 144 to GBX 110 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ibstock from GBX 133 to GBX 127 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank decreased their price target on shares of Ibstock from GBX 150 to GBX 135 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 135.50.

Ibstock Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.59, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is GBX 108.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 124.85. The company has a market capitalization of £404.77 million, a P/E ratio of 128.13, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.88.

Ibstock (LON:IBST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported GBX 5.70 EPS for the quarter. Ibstock had a net margin of 0.83% and a return on equity of 0.79%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Ibstock plc will post 11.0089552 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ibstock

In other news, insider Joe Hudson sold 15,632 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 107, for a total transaction of £16,726.24. Also, insider Martin Payne acquired 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 108 per share, with a total value of £21,600. Company insiders own 2.26% of the company's stock.

Ibstock Company Profile

Ibstock plc manufactures and sells clay and concrete building products and solutions to customers in the residential construction sector in the United Kingdom. The company offers bricks and masonry, which includes facing and engineering bricks, brick slips, special shaped bricks, walling stone, architectural masonry, prefabricated components, eco-habitats, and padstones and lintels, as well as façade systems; roofing products comprising roof tiles and accessories, and chimneys; and flooring and lintels, such as beam and block flooring, insulated flooring, hollowcore, and screed rails.

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