Hays (LON:HAS) Stock Falls 12.8% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Hays shares fell 12.8% to GBX 56 on Monday, with about 6.6 million shares traded—roughly half the average daily volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Hays has an average “Hold” rating and a GBX 64.60 consensus target, ranging from GBX 33 to GBX 95.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of GBX 3.64 per share, alongside a negative net margin and return on equity; analysts nevertheless forecast full-year EPS of GBX 4.10.

Hays plc (LON:HAS - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 12.8% during trading on Monday. The company traded as low as GBX 56 and last traded at GBX 56. Approximately 6,616,393 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 13,146,817 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 64.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on HAS. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Hays from GBX 33 to GBX 65 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Hays from GBX 60 to GBX 85 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Hays from GBX 60 to GBX 95 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and issued a GBX 45 target price on shares of Hays in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a GBX 33 target price on shares of Hays in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hays currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of GBX 64.60.

Hays Trading Down 12.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 60.68. The company has a market capitalization of £880.95 million, a PE ratio of -15.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.77. The stock's fifty day moving average price is GBX 66.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 47.41.

Hays (LON:HAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported GBX (3.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Hays had a negative net margin of 0.91% and a negative return on equity of 13.31%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hays plc will post 4.10 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hays

In other news, insider James Hilton sold 63,122 shares of Hays stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 67, for a total value of £42,291.74. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

About Hays

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