Shore Capital Group Reaffirms "House Stock" Rating for Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS)

Key Points

• Shore Capital reiterated a "house stock" rating on Marks & Spencer, and the broker consensus is a Moderate Buy (six Buy, two Hold) with an average target of GBX 416.43.
• The shares opened at GBX 367.40 (52‑week range GBX 315.30–417.80) with a market cap of £7.44bn; the stock trades below the consensus target and shows stretched valuation metrics (P/E 408.22) and high leverage (debt/equity 121.22).
• Insider Stuart Machin sold 150,000 shares at GBX 404 for about £606,000, and corporate insiders now own 0.50% of the company.

Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "house stock" rating reiterated by equities researchers at Shore Capital Group in a research note issued on Thursday,Digital Look reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on MKS. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 440 price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Marks and Spencer Group to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from GBX 412 to GBX 415 in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Marks and Spencer Group to GBX 430 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 416.43.

Marks and Spencer Group Price Performance

LON:MKS opened at GBX 367.40 on Thursday. Marks and Spencer Group has a 52 week low of GBX 315.30 and a 52 week high of GBX 417.80. The stock's fifty day moving average is GBX 368.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 361.85. The company has a market capitalization of £7.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 408.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 121.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marks and Spencer Group

In other news, insider Stuart Machin sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 404, for a total value of £606,000. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

About Marks and Spencer Group

M&S has a heritage of quality, innovation and value for money and has been voted the UK's most trusted brand. From these foundations, M&S is reshaping for sustainable profitable growth and value creation. We operate as a family of businesses, selling high-quality, great-value, own-brand products and services, alongside a carefully selected range of third-party brands. We do this through a network of stores and websites globally, and together, across our stores, support centres, warehouses and supply chain, our 65,000 colleagues serve over 30 million customers each year.

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