J Sainsbury (LON:SBRY) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: Sainsbury's stock has passed above its 200-day moving average
• Analyst view mixed but positive overall: Three Buys and one Hold give a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of GBX 330, though JPMorgan and Citigroup recently trimmed targets to GBX 345 and GBX 360 respectively while Jefferies remains at GBX 310 (Hold).
• Insider moves and fundamentals: Insider Katie Bickerstaffe bought 5,534 shares at GBX 309 while CEO Simon Roberts sold 30,340 at GBX 308; insiders own 0.42% and the company shows a PE of 24.7, high debt-to-equity (102.27) and low liquidity ratios (current 0.62, quick 0.53).

Shares of J Sainsbury plc (LON:SBRY - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 332.03 and traded as high as GBX 350.10. J Sainsbury shares last traded at GBX 347.50, with a volume of 4,406,679 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on SBRY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on J Sainsbury from GBX 350 to GBX 345 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup cut their price target on J Sainsbury from GBX 366 to GBX 360 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 310 price target on shares of J Sainsbury in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 330.

J Sainsbury Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £7.78 billion, a PE ratio of 24.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 102.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 341.04 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 332.03.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Katie Bickerstaffe bought 5,534 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 309 per share, for a total transaction of £17,100.06. Also, insider Simon Roberts sold 30,340 shares of J Sainsbury stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 308, for a total value of £93,447.20. 0.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J Sainsbury Company Profile

J Sainsbury plc is one of the UK's leading food, general merchandise and clothing retailers. Offering delicious, great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since we opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority. Our purpose is that driven by our passion for food, together we serve and help every customer. Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands – Argos, Habitat, Tu, Nectar and Sainsbury's Bank.

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