Whitbread (LON:WTB) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,741 ($37.32) and traded as high as GBX 2,912 ($39.65). Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 2,889 ($39.33), with a volume of 326,442 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on WTB shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Whitbread to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Citigroup cut their price target on Whitbread from GBX 3,700 ($50.37) to GBX 3,300 ($44.93) and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Whitbread in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 2,860 ($38.94).

Whitbread Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.18, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 2,694.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 2,741. The company has a market cap of £5.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.90, a PEG ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported GBX 194.60 ($2.65) earnings per share for the quarter. Whitbread had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 8.08%. As a group, research analysts predict that Whitbread plc will post 227.1851852 earnings per share for the current year.

Whitbread declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase 0 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Whitbread news, insider Kal Atwal acquired 269 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,843 ($38.71) per share, for a total transaction of £7,647.67 ($10,412.08). Also, 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 ($37.99), for a total transaction of £72,735.30 ($99,026.96). 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.