Wickes Group (LON:WIX) Reaches New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Wickes Group plc (LON:WIX - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 227 ($3.06) and last traded at GBX 226.50 ($3.06), with a volume of 1081979 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 223.50 ($3.02).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WIX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Shore Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Wickes Group in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Wickes Group from GBX 198 ($2.67) to GBX 250 ($3.38) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th.

Wickes Group Stock Performance

The business's fifty day moving average is GBX 200.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 175.60. The stock has a market capitalization of £536.28 million, a PE ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 456.98.

Wickes Group (LON:WIX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The company reported GBX 14.10 ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Wickes Group had a return on equity of 19.39% and a net margin of 2.01%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Wickes Group plc will post 16.2278978 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wickes Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 24th were paid a GBX 7.30 ($0.10) dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 24th. This represents a yield of 4.01%. This is a boost from Wickes Group's previous dividend of $3.60. Wickes Group's dividend payout ratio is 88.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wickes Group

In other news, insider David Wood sold 58,445 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 172 ($2.32), for a total value of £100,525.40 ($135,716.75). 7.16% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wickes Group Company Profile

Wickes is one of the UK's best known home improvement retailers. Having opened our first store in 1972 we now have over 230 stores across the UK, employing 8,500 colleagues and offering products ranging from kitchens and bathrooms, to paint, tools and timber. Wickes is a successful, growing, cash generative and profitable business, operating in the large and growing £25 billion UK Home Improvement market.