Wickes Group (LON:WIX) Trading Up 8.3% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Wickes Group shares rose 8.3% to GBX 191.20, with trading volume surging 1,175% above the average daily level.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable: four analysts rate the stock a Buy and one rates it Hold, with a consensus price target of GBX 258.60.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of GBX 9.60 per share, alongside a 29.52% return on equity and a 2.35% net margin.

Wickes Group plc (LON:WIX - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 8.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 195 and last traded at GBX 191.20. Approximately 24,410,428 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 1,175% from the average daily volume of 1,914,223 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 176.60.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WIX shares. Shore Capital Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 280 target price on shares of Wickes Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Wickes Group from GBX 227 to GBX 210 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of Wickes Group from GBX 265 to GBX 260 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 265 price objective on shares of Wickes Group in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 258.60.

Wickes Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £420.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.66, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 551.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 192.36 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 197.81.

Wickes Group (LON:WIX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 15th. The company reported GBX 9.60 earnings per share for the quarter. Wickes Group had a return on equity of 29.52% and a net margin of 2.35%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Wickes Group plc will post 16.2278978 EPS for the current year.

Wickes Group Company Profile

Wickes is one of the UK's best known home improvement retailers. Having opened our first store in 1972 we now have 228 stores across the UK, employing 7,400 colleagues and offering products ranging from kitchens and bathrooms, to paint, tools and timber. Wickes is a successful, growing, cash generative and profitable business, operating in the large and growing £27 billion UK Home Improvement market. Over the past few years Wickes has consistently outperformed the market, growing share and delivering a CAGR growth rate double that of the market. At Wickes, we have a clear purpose, which is to ‘help the nation feel house proud', and we do this by focusing on our three customer segments - Local Trade, Do-it-for-me and DIY retail.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.