Whitbread plc (LON:WTB) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Seven brokers give Whitbread an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (4 buys, 3 holds) with an average 1‑year target price of GBX 3,127.50.
• Insider buying: Christine Mary Hodgson purchased 7,750 shares at GBX 2,706 and Kal Atwal bought 462 shares at GBX 2,737, with corporate insiders owning about 0.39% of the stock.
• Market snapshot: Shares opened at GBX 2,534, the company has a market cap of ~£4.25bn and a PE of 17.7, and the 1‑year trading range is GBX 2,253–3,302.

Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,127.50.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Whitbread to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from GBX 3,375 to GBX 2,815 in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Whitbread from GBX 3,100 to GBX 3,300 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Whitbread to a "hold" rating and set a GBX 2,900 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Whitbread from GBX 2,450 to GBX 2,550 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Panmure Gordon restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 3,700 price target on shares of Whitbread in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whitbread

In related news, insider Kal Atwal bought 462 shares of Whitbread stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,737 per share, for a total transaction of £12,644.94. Also, insider Christine Mary Hodgson purchased 7,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,706 per share, for a total transaction of £209,715. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Whitbread Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of WTB opened at GBX 2,534 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 178.99. The stock has a market cap of £4.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.71, a PEG ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 0.64. Whitbread has a 1 year low of GBX 2,253 and a 1 year high of GBX 3,302. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 2,667.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 2,837.58.

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.

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