Inchcape (LON:INCH) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Price breakout: Inchcape's shares moved above the 200‑day moving average (200‑day MA GBX 775.96), trading as high as GBX 814.60 and last at GBX 792.83 on a volume of 877,648 shares.
• Analyst sentiment strong: Several brokers (including Citigroup and Deutsche Bank) have raised targets and the stock carries a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target of GBX 1,050 (Citigroup target GBX 1,330).
• Buyback and fundamentals: The board approved an open‑market stock repurchase plan and the company trades at a P/E of 11.03 with market cap ~£2.81bn, quarterly EPS GBX 80.80 and ROE ~23.8%.

Inchcape plc (LON:INCH - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 775.96 and traded as high as GBX 814.60. Inchcape shares last traded at GBX 792.83, with a volume of 877,648 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Inchcape from GBX 1,115 to GBX 1,330 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Inchcape from GBX 800 to GBX 830 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 1,050.

Inchcape Trading Up 0.1%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 819.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 775.96. The stock has a market cap of £2.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.03, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 100.56.

Inchcape (LON:INCH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 80.80 earnings per share for the quarter. Inchcape had a return on equity of 23.83% and a net margin of 2.99%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Inchcape plc will post 85.9639233 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Inchcape declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, March 3rd that permits the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Inchcape Company Profile

Inchcape is the leading global automotive distributor, with operations across six continents. By combining our in-market expertise with our unique technology and advanced data analytics, we create innovative customer experiences that deliver outstanding performance for our partners – building stronger automotive brands and creating sustainable growth. Our distribution platform connects the products of mobility company partners with customers, and our responsibilities span product planning and pricing, import and logistics, brand and marketing to operating digital sales, managing physical sales and aftermarket service channels.

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