Severn Trent (LON:SVT) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Severn Trent PLC reached a new 52-week high of GBX 2,820.81 ($37.72) with a trading volume of over 2 million shares on Wednesday.
• Analysts have mixed reviews, with Barclays raising its price target to GBX 3,385 while others maintain a "Hold" rating and a consensus target price of GBX 2,861.25.
• Insider transactions reported include the sale of 36,354 shares by two insiders at a price of GBX 2,673 each, amounting to over £970,000.

Severn Trent PLC (LON:SVT - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 2,820.81 ($37.72) and last traded at GBX 2,819 ($37.69), with a volume of 2085421 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,756 ($36.85).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SVT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Severn Trent from GBX 2,960 to GBX 3,385 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a GBX 2,850 target price on shares of Severn Trent in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 2,610 target price on shares of Severn Trent in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 2,861.25.

Severn Trent Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 450.94, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market capitalization of £8.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.79, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.38. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 2,593.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 2,650.40.

Insider Activity at Severn Trent

In other news, insider Helen Miles sold 8,067 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,673, for a total value of £215,630.91. Also, insider Olivia (Liv) Garfield sold 28,287 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,673, for a total transaction of £756,111.51. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Severn Trent

As one of Britain's largest water companies, we supply fresh, clean drinking water to over nine million people across our region - around two billion litres every day. Once used, we collect, clean, and treat the water before safely returning it to the environment. We are one of only three listed water stocks in the UK, offering a valuable combination of reliable earnings, long-term asset growth, and inflation-linked dividends.

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