Whitbread (LON:WTB) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• 52-week low: Whitbread shares fell to a new 52-week low, trading as low as GBX 2,229 and last at GBX 2,244 on volume of 1,912,246, and are trading below their 50-day (GBX 2,589.59) and 200-day (GBX 2,746.24) moving averages.
• Analyst outlook: Despite recent downgrades and mixed revisions, analysts hold a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target price of GBX 3,127.50 (four Buys, three Holds).
• Insider buying: Two insiders recently purchased shares (462 and 7,750 shares) at GBX 2,737 and GBX 2,706 respectively, with insiders owning about 0.40% of the stock.

Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 2,229 and last traded at GBX 2,244, with a volume of 1912246 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,260.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WTB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Whitbread from GBX 2,450 to GBX 2,550 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Whitbread to a "hold" rating and set a GBX 2,900 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Whitbread to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from GBX 3,375 to GBX 2,815 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,100 to GBX 3,300 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 3,127.50.

Whitbread Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 178.99, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 2,589.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 2,746.24. The firm has a market cap of £3.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a PEG ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 0.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Whitbread news, insider Kal Atwal bought 462 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 2,737 per share, with a total value of £12,644.94. Also, insider Christine Mary Hodgson purchased 7,750 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 16th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,706 per share, for a total transaction of £209,715. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Whitbread

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.

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