Whitbread (LON:WTB) Trading Down 9.5% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Whitbread plc's share price dropped by 9.5% during trading, closing at GBX 2,917 ($39.10), with trading volume significantly lower than average.
• Analysts provide a mixed outlook, with Berenberg Bank reducing their target price to GBX 3,500 while Citigroup raised it to GBX 3,800, maintaining a "buy" rating for the company.
• The company's latest earnings report showed an EPS of GBX 133.70 and a forecasted EPS for the current year at approximately 227.19.

Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 9.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as GBX 2,894 ($38.79) and last traded at GBX 2,917 ($39.10). Approximately 1,446,946 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 1,676,873 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,224 ($43.22).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WTB shares. Berenberg Bank lowered their target price on Whitbread from GBX 3,900 to GBX 3,500 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Whitbread from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,800 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 3,650.

Whitbread Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 3,152.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 2,921.34. 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 cap of £5.04 billion, a PE ratio of 2,077.24, a PEG ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 1.11.

Whitbread (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The company reported GBX 133.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Whitbread had a return on equity of 6.83% and a net margin of 8.08%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Whitbread plc will post 227.1851852 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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