J Sainsbury (LON:SBRY) Stock Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• J Sainsbury shares broke above their 200-day moving average, reaching GBX 342.10 before closing at GBX 340.20, compared with the 200-day average of GBX 331.40.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: four analysts rate the stock Buy and two rate it Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of GBX 360.17.
• The company has a £7.41 billion market capitalization and a P/E ratio of 20.13. Insider ownership is limited at 0.47%, and insider Simon Roberts recently sold shares worth approximately £1.15 million.

Shares of J Sainsbury plc (LON:SBRY - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.40 and traded as high as GBX 342.10. J Sainsbury shares last traded at GBX 340.20, with a volume of 7,224,700 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SBRY shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 310 price target on shares of J Sainsbury in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 395 target price on shares of J Sainsbury in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 390 target price on shares of J Sainsbury in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Shore Capital Group reaffirmed a "house stock" rating on shares of J Sainsbury in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a GBX 375 price target on shares of J Sainsbury in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 360.17.

J Sainsbury Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of £7.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 336.44 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 107.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J Sainsbury news, insider Simon Roberts sold 346,154 shares of J Sainsbury stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 333, for a total value of £1,152,692.82. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company 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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