Kingfisher (LON:KGF) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Kingfisher shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching GBX 347.10 before closing at GBX 344.71, with more than 5.4 million shares traded.
• Analysts remain cautious: the stock has a consensus “Hold” rating and a GBX 316.71 target price, despite several recent target-price increases.
• Kingfisher reported quarterly EPS of GBX 17.80, while insider Thierry Garnier sold 732,309 shares at an average price of GBX 329.

Kingfisher plc (LON:KGF - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 300.84 and traded as high as GBX 347.10. Kingfisher shares last traded at GBX 344.71, with a volume of 5,418,807 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KGF has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on shares of Kingfisher from GBX 295 to GBX 320 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a GBX 350 target price on shares of Kingfisher in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a GBX 291 target price on shares of Kingfisher in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Kingfisher to a "hold" rating and upped their target price for the company from GBX 300 to GBX 330 in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 316.71.

Kingfisher Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.32, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 318.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 300.84. The stock has a market capitalization of £5.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.10.

Kingfisher (LON:KGF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 22nd. The home improvement retailer reported GBX 17.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Kingfisher had a return on equity of 4.86% and a net margin of 2.29%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kingfisher plc will post 23.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Kingfisher announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, September 22nd that permits the company to buy back 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the home improvement retailer to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kingfisher

In related news, insider Thierry Garnier sold 732,309 shares of Kingfisher stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 329, for a total value of £2,409,296.61. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Kingfisher

Kingfisher plc is an international home improvement company with over 1,800 stores, supported by a team of more than 70,000 colleagues. We operate in seven countries across Europe under retail banners including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix, TradePoint and Koçtaş. We offer home improvement products and services to consumers and trade professionals who shop in our stores and via our e-commerce channels.

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