WH Smith's (SMWH) "Not Rated" Rating Reiterated at Shore Capital

Shore Capital reaffirmed their not rated rating on shares of WH Smith (LON:SMWH - Free Report) in a report issued on Wednesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

Separately, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 1,600 ($21.28) price objective on shares of WH Smith in a report on Friday, February 28th.

WH Smith Stock Down 1.1 %

LON SMWH traded down GBX 10.50 ($0.14) during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting GBX 931 ($12.38). 278,561 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 567,910. The company has a market cap of £1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.42. WH Smith has a 52 week low of GBX 872.50 ($11.61) and a 52 week high of GBX 1,499 ($19.94). The company's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 1,064.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 1,197.36.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The company reported GBX 23.40 ($0.31) EPS for the quarter. WH Smith had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 17.78%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that WH Smith will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current year.

WH Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 16th were paid a dividend of GBX 22.60 ($0.30) per share. This is an increase from WH Smith's previous dividend of $11.00. This represents a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 16th. WH Smith's payout ratio is presently 66.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Annette Court acquired 1,090 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 918 ($12.21) per share, with a total value of £10,006.20 ($13,309.66). Corporate insiders own 1.21% of the company's stock.

WH Smith Company Profile

WH Smith PLC operates as a retailer in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in two segments, Travel and High Street. The Travel segment offers news, books, and convenience for travelling customers. It operates stores in airports, hospitals, railway stations, and motorway service areas.