Whitbread (LON:WTB) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares of Whitbread plc crossed above their 200-day moving average on Thursday, trading as high as GBX 3,225 ($43.57).
• Analysts have mixed views, with Citigroup raising its target price to GBX 3,800 while Berenberg Bank lowered its target to GBX 3,500; the consensus rating remains a "Moderate Buy."
• Whitbread's board approved a stock buyback plan indicating confidence in the stock's value, which is commonly viewed as a sign the shares are undervalued.

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 2,787.81 ($37.65) and traded as high as GBX 3,225 ($43.55). Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 3,193 ($43.12), with a volume of 491,279 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WTB has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,800 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Berenberg Bank dropped their price target on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,900 to GBX 3,500 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 3,650.

Whitbread Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.18, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The company's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 3,047.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 2,791.79. The stock has a market capitalization of £5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,236.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11.

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.