Jefferies Financial Group Reiterates "Underperform" Rating for Bunzl (LON:BNZL)

Key Points

• Jefferies reiterated an Underperform rating on Bunzl with a GBX 1,900 price target, implying roughly a 21% downside; RBC has a GBX 2,200 target and MarketBeat's consensus is a Reduce rating with a GBX 2,335 consensus target.
• Bunzl shares traded up 1.2% to GBX 2,409 (above Jefferies' target and near the 12‑month high), with a market capitalization of £7.73 billion and a P/E of 17.10.
• Insider Richard Howes purchased 8,267 shares at GBX 2,299, and the company recently reported quarterly EPS of GBX 179.30 with a return on equity of 17.21%.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "underperform" rating reaffirmed by Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued on Wednesday,Digital Look reports. They presently have a GBX 1,900 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target would suggest a potential downside of 21.13% from the stock's current price.

Separately, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a GBX 2,200 price target on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of GBX 2,335.

Bunzl Stock Up 1.2%

BNZL traded up GBX 29 during trading on Wednesday, hitting GBX 2,409. 2,097,301 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,957,394. The company's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 2,229.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 2,201.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 103.81. Bunzl has a 12-month low of GBX 1,981 and a 12-month high of GBX 2,609.33. The stock has a market capitalization of £7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.29.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported GBX 179.30 EPS for the quarter. Bunzl had a return on equity of 17.21% and a net margin of 5.12%. Analysts predict that Bunzl will post 213.3413462 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Richard Howes purchased 8,267 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 2,299 per share, for a total transaction of £190,058.33. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Bunzl Company Profile

Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and personal protection equipment to grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. It also provides food packaging, disposable tableware, guest amenities, catering equipment, agricultural supplies, cleaning and hygiene products, and safety items to hotels, restaurants, contract caterers, food processors, commercial growers, and the leisure sector; and gloves, boots, hard hats, ear and eye protection, and other workwear, as well as cleaning and hygiene supplies, and asset protection products to industrial and construction, and ecommerce sectors.

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