NEXT (LON:NXT) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• NEXT plc shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as £149.02 and last changing hands at £148.62 on heavy volume. The move also pushed the stock above its 200-day moving average, a bullish technical signal.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: UBS, Berenberg, and Shore Capital all kept Buy ratings, while Citigroup cut its target and maintained a Neutral view. Overall, the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of £140.97.
• Insider activity was notable, with Jonathan Blanchard selling 18,012 shares at an average of £148.02, while Amy Stirling bought 375 shares earlier in May. The company also reported a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.79 and a market cap of about £17.13 billion.

NEXT plc (LON:NXT - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as £149.02 and last traded at £148.62, with a volume of 440855 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at £147.65.

Key Headlines Impacting NEXT

Here are the key news stories impacting NEXT this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NEXT shares moved above their 200-day moving average, a technical signal that can attract momentum buyers and support further upside. NEXT LON: NXT Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles mention WWE NXT programming updates, including title street fights, a title challenger announcement, and Reina Volcan’s in-ring debut, but these refer to the wrestling brand rather than the retail company NEXT plc. WWE NXT preview (7/14/26): Start time, match card, how to watch & live stream
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional NXT wrestling headlines about match cards and championship bouts are unlikely to affect NEXT plc’s fundamentals or valuation, but they may briefly confuse ticker-based news filters. WWE Confirms NXT Championship Street Fight For Next Week

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NXT shares. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a £152 price target on shares of NEXT in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Citigroup cut their target price on NEXT from £135.42 to £132 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Berenberg Bank restated a "buy" rating and set a £180 price objective on shares of NEXT in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Shore Capital Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of NEXT in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of £140.97.

NEXT Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.79, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of £137.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of £134.01. The stock has a market capitalization of £17.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 1.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan Blanchard sold 18,012 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of £148.02, for a total transaction of £2,666,136.24. Also, insider Amy Stirling bought 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of £133.06 per share, for a total transaction of £49,897.50. Insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

About NEXT

Founded as a tailoring business in Leeds in 1864 by Joseph Hepworth and Son, today, the company offers clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products to our UK and International customers. NEXT has over 500 stores in the United Kingdom and Eire, and over 180 franchise branches across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The company's main divisions are NEXT Online, NEXT Retail and NEXT Finance. We also launched Total Platform, an online, distribution, tech and logistics solution, in 2020.

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