Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT) Earns "Hold" Rating from Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “Hold” rating on Reckitt Benckiser Group with a GBX 5,400 price target, implying roughly 2% upside from the prior close. The broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of GBX 6,242.86.
• Reckitt shares fell 1.9% to GBX 5,294.80 in Thursday trading, while 66.5 million shares changed hands—well above the average volume of 25.0 million.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of GBX 101.40, alongside a 22.40% net margin and 45.27% return on equity. Insiders also bought shares during the quarter, including purchases by Shannon Eisenhardt and Deepak Nath.

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold" rating reissued by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a research note issued on Thursday,Digital Look reports. They currently have a GBX 5,400 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft's price target points to a potential upside of 1.99% from the company's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on RKT. Berenberg Bank reduced their target price on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 7,000 to GBX 6,200 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Reckitt Benckiser Group from GBX 7,000 to GBX 6,200 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a GBX 6,200 target price on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 5,900 price target on shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 6,242.86.

Reckitt Benckiser Group Trading Down 1.9%

Reckitt Benckiser Group stock traded down GBX 105.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching GBX 5,294.80. 66,470,766 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,010,719. The firm has a market cap of £33.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 4,823.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 5,284.09. Reckitt Benckiser Group has a 12-month low of GBX 3,866 and a 12-month high of GBX 6,522.92.

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported GBX 101.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Reckitt Benckiser Group had a net margin of 22.40% and a return on equity of 45.27%. Research analysts expect that Reckitt Benckiser Group will post 331.2110727 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Shannon Eisenhardt purchased 432 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of £432 per share, for a total transaction of £186,624. Also, insider Deepak Nath purchased 257 shares of Reckitt Benckiser Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 4,650 per share, with a total value of £11,950.50. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 1,029 shares of company stock worth $21,416,350. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Reckitt Benckiser Group Company Profile

At Reckitt, we protect, heal and nurture. We are the company behind some of the world's best known and most trusted Health and Hygiene consumer brands. Delivering for a cleaner, healthier world requires strong brands with a global footprint. From Dettol, Lysol, Durex, Finish, Harpic and Vanish, Mucinex, Nurofen, Gaviscon, Veet and Strepsils, consumers love and rely on our brands to care for their families, as they have done for over 200 years. We use our scientific expertise and deep human understanding to develop solutions to help people improve their lives – that is why over 30 million Reckitt products are sold each day worldwide. At Reckitt, we're all making a real difference to people all over the world, every day.

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