Whitbread (LON:WTB) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Whitbread plc's stock price recently surpassed its 200-day moving average, indicating potential upward momentum in trading.
• The company received mixed ratings from analysts, with recent target prices adjusted downwards while maintaining overall buy recommendations.
• Insider activity included a small purchase by one executive and a larger sale by another, highlighting mixed sentiments among corporate insiders about the stock.

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 2,754.36 ($36.61) and traded as high as GBX 3,122 ($41.49). Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 3,053 ($40.58), with a volume of 791,601 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WTB. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Whitbread from GBX 3,700 ($49.18) to GBX 3,300 ($43.86) and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Shore Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Whitbread in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank dropped their price target on Whitbread from GBX 3,900 ($51.83) to GBX 3,500 ($46.52) and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 2,280 ($30.30).

Whitbread Stock Up 0.1%

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 company has a market cap of £5.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 2,945.80 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 2,752.75.

Whitbread declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Whitbread

In other news, insider Hemant Patel sold 2,607 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,790 ($37.08), for a total value of £72,735.30 ($96,671.05). Also, insider Kal Atwal purchased 269 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,843 ($37.79) per share, for a total transaction of £7,647.67 ($10,164.37). Corporate insiders own 1.03% of the company's stock.

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.