M&G (LON:MNG) Hits New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• M&G plc's shares reached a new 52-week high of GBX 279 ($3.74) during trading, closing at GBX 255.70 ($3.42) with a trading volume of over 13 million shares.
• Analysts have given M&G a mixed outlook, with UBS maintaining a "buy" rating and a target price of GBX 275, while Citigroup raised its price objective to GBX 260 with a "neutral" rating.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of GBX 10.10 and has a market capitalization of £5.94 billion, but features a high debt-to-equity ratio of 218.70.

M&G plc (LON:MNG - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 279 ($3.78) and last traded at GBX 255.70 ($3.46), with a volume of 13402628 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 256.80 ($3.48).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MNG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on M&G from GBX 290 to GBX 305 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on M&G from GBX 225 to GBX 240 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 275 target price on shares of M&G in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on M&G from GBX 214 to GBX 260 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, M&G presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 261.

M&G Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 260.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 232.56. The firm has a market cap of £6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,703.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -2.76 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 218.70, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.40.

M&G (LON:MNG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The company reported GBX 10.10 EPS for the quarter. M&G had a return on equity of 4.31% and a net margin of 1.85%. On average, analysts anticipate that M&G plc will post 24.2485207 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

M&G Company Profile

M&G plc is a leading savings and investments business, managing investments for both individuals and for large institutional investors, such as pension funds, around the world. We have a single corporate identity, M&G plc, and two customer-facing brands: Prudential and M&G Investments. Prudential offers savings and insurance for customers in the UK and Europe and for asset management in South Africa.