Whitbread (LON:WTB) Shares Cross Below 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Whitbread shares fell below their 200-day moving average of GBX 2,395.33, trading as low as GBX 2,353 and last changing hands at GBX 2,367.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 2,970.56; five analysts rate the stock Buy and four rate it Hold.
• Company insiders recently bought shares, including purchases by Dominic Paul and Shelley Roberts, while insiders collectively own 0.42% of Whitbread’s stock.

Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 2,395.33 and traded as low as GBX 2,353. Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 2,367, with a volume of 421,553 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WTB. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 2,975 price target on shares of Whitbread in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Shore Capital Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 3,700 price target on shares of Whitbread in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a GBX 2,280 price objective on shares of Whitbread in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Whitbread from GBX 3,100 to GBX 3,300 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Whitbread from GBX 2,050 to GBX 2,250 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of GBX 2,970.56.

Whitbread Stock Up 0.8%

The company has a market capitalization of £3.96 billion, a PE ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 174.28, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.44. The company's 50-day moving average is GBX 2,424.04 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 2,395.33.

Insider Activity at Whitbread

In other news, insider Dominic Paul purchased 717 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 2,410 per share, for a total transaction of £17,279.70. Also, insider Shelley Roberts purchased 485 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 2,456 per share, with a total value of £11,911.60. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

About Whitbread

Whitbread is the owner of Premier Inn, the UK's biggest hotel brand, with 86,000 rooms in over 850 hotels and a growing presence in Germany with 10,500 rooms in 59 hotels, offering quality accommodation at affordable prices in great locations. People are at the heart of our business. We employ over 38,000 team members in over 900 Premier Inn hotels across the UK and Germany.

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