Smiths News (LON:SNWS) Stock Price Breaks Below 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares fell below the 200-day moving average, trading as low as 68p versus the 69.34p average, amid concerns about recent performance.
• Smiths News reported £1.04 billion in revenue and secured distribution contracts worth about £375 million annually, but full-year profit declined as new contracts weighed on results.
• Despite the profit pressure, Berenberg and Canaccord maintained Buy ratings and raised their price targets to 110p and 105p, respectively; the consensus target is about 103p.

Smiths News plc (LON:SNWS - Get Free Report) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 69.34 and traded as low as GBX 68. Smiths News shares last traded at GBX 68.60, with a volume of 8,234,520 shares changing hands.

Key Headlines Impacting Smiths News

Here are the key news stories impacting Smiths News this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Smiths News reported £1.04 billion in revenue and secured national distribution contracts worth about £375 million annually, providing a substantial base of contracted business. Smiths News Reports £1.04 Billion Revenue and Secures National Distribution Contracts Worth £375 Million Annually
• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity raised its price target to 105p from 95p, while Berenberg raised its target to 110p from 88p; both maintain Buy ratings. Canaccord Genuity Group recommendations Berenberg Bank recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: The company outlined its “Go National” plans, and its earnings-call transcript offers further management commentary on strategy and performance. Smiths News outlines Go National plans H1 FY2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Full-year profit declined, with coverage attributing pressure to the cost or impact of starting new contracts. This near-term earnings hit likely outweighs the longer-term benefit of the newly secured business for some investors. Smiths News shares slide on profit hit from new contracts Smiths News announces decline in full-year bottom line

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on SNWS. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on shares of Smiths News from GBX 88 to GBX 110 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Smiths News from GBX 95 to GBX 105 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Smiths News has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 103.33.

Smiths News Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 288.79, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of £166.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.41, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.31. The business's 50-day moving average price is GBX 73.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 69.34.

Smiths News (LON:SNWS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported GBX 11.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Smiths News had a return on equity of 293.98% and a net margin of 2.35%. The business had revenue of GBX 103.62 billion for the quarter. Research analysts predict that Smiths News plc will post 10.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Smiths News Company Profile

In 1792 we started delivering the nation's newspapers. Today, we're proud to be the UK's largest wholesaler of newspapers and magazines, serving 24,000 retailers from superstores to corner shops. Service and efficiency put us at the forefront of our industry and with 55% market share we are the leading player in one of the world's fastest-moving supply chains. Our teams go further, when others stop, striving to meet the highest standards in all we do.

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