Whitbread plc (LON:WTB) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Consensus: "Moderate Buy" — Seven analysts rate Whitbread at an average "Moderate Buy" (4 buys, 3 holds) with a mean 12‑month price target of GBX 3,119.17.
• Insider buying — Christine Mary Hodgson bought 7,750 shares at GBX 2,706 and Kal Atwal bought 462 shares at GBX 2,737, with insiders now owning 0.40% of the stock.
• Shares opened at GBX 2,448 (market cap £4.09bn), trading below the analyst average target and the one‑year high of GBX 3,302; notable metrics include a P/E of 17.11 and a debt‑to‑equity ratio of 178.99.

Whitbread plc (LON:WTB - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,119.17.

WTB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Whitbread from GBX 3,100 to GBX 3,300 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 2,815 target price on shares of Whitbread in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Whitbread from GBX 2,550 to GBX 2,500 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut Whitbread to a "hold" rating and set a GBX 2,900 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Kal Atwal bought 462 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 2,737 per share, for a total transaction of £12,644.94. Also, insider Christine Mary Hodgson bought 7,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 2,706 per share, with a total value of £209,715. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Whitbread Price Performance

Shares of Whitbread stock opened at GBX 2,448 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of £4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -3.09 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 178.99, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 2,471.13 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 2,653.60. Whitbread has a one year low of GBX 2,218 and a one year high of GBX 3,302.

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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