Whitbread (LON:WTB) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,786.05 ($36.96) and traded as high as GBX 2,840.76 ($37.69). Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 2,810 ($37.28), with a volume of 509,301 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WTB shares. Shore Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Whitbread in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup decreased their price target on Whitbread from GBX 3,700 ($49.08) to GBX 3,300 ($43.78) and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Whitbread to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 2,860 ($37.94).

Whitbread Stock Down 0.5%

The business's 50-day moving average price is GBX 2,563.70 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 2,777.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.18. The firm has a market capitalization of £5.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported GBX 194.60 ($2.58) 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 predict that Whitbread plc will post 227.1851852 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whitbread declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that permits the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Kal Atwal bought 269 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 2,843 ($37.72) per share, for a total transaction of £7,647.67 ($10,145.49). Insiders own 1.03% of the company's stock.

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.