Whitbread (LON:WTB) Share Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Shares of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,736.79 ($36.71) and traded as high as GBX 3,129 ($41.97). Whitbread shares last traded at GBX 3,121 ($41.86), with a volume of 440,725 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WTB shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,700 ($49.63) to GBX 3,300 ($44.27) and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Shore Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Whitbread in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered their target price on Whitbread from GBX 3,900 ($52.31) to GBX 3,500 ($46.95) and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whitbread currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 2,280 ($30.58).

Whitbread Stock Down 0.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of £5.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 2,877.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 2,735.11.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported GBX 194.60 ($2.61) EPS for the quarter. Whitbread had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 8.08%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Whitbread plc will post 227.1851852 EPS for the current year.

Whitbread announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase 0 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Whitbread

In related news, insider Kal Atwal acquired 269 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,843 ($38.14) per share, for a total transaction of £7,647.67 ($10,258.44). Also, insider Dominic Paul sold 3,206 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,790 ($37.42), for a total transaction of £89,447.40 ($119,983.10). 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by 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.