Whitbread (LON:WTB) Price Target Lowered to GBX 3,500 at Berenberg Bank

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Berenberg Bank from GBX 3,900 ($52.98) to GBX 3,500 ($47.55) in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank's price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.56% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Shore Capital restated a "buy" rating on shares of Whitbread in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,700 ($50.26) to GBX 3,300 ($44.83) and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 2,280 ($30.97).

Whitbread Trading Up 3.4%

WTB traded up GBX 100.15 ($1.36) during trading on Wednesday, reaching GBX 3,082.15 ($41.87). 815,400 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,956,874. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 2,830.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 2,731.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.18. Whitbread has a one year low of GBX 2,253 ($30.61) and a one year high of GBX 3,352 ($45.54). The stock has a market capitalization of £5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported GBX 194.60 ($2.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Whitbread had a net margin of 8.08% and a return on equity of 6.83%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Whitbread will post 227.1851852 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whitbread declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Whitbread

In related news, insider Hemant Patel sold 2,607 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,790 ($37.90), for a total transaction of £72,735.30 ($98,811.71). Also, insider Kal Atwal purchased 269 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 2,843 ($38.62) per share, with a total value of £7,647.67 ($10,389.44). 1.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Whitbread Company Profile

Whitbread is the owner of Premier Inn, the UK's biggest hotel brand, with 86,000 rooms in over 850 hotels and a growing presence in Germany with 10,500 rooms in 59 hotels, offering quality accommodation at affordable prices in great locations. People are at the heart of our business. We employ over 38,000 team members in over 900 Premier Inn hotels across the UK and Germany.