Helen Rose Buys 7,972 Shares of WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Stock

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) insider Helen Rose acquired 7,972 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 627 per share, with a total value of £49,984.44.

WH Smith Trading Up 0.9%

LON SMWH traded up GBX 5.50 during trading on Thursday, hitting GBX 635.50. 287,875 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,667,901. The firm has a market cap of £792.44 million, a P/E ratio of -5.60, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. WH Smith PLC has a 12-month low of GBX 585.50 and a 12-month high of GBX 1,315. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 652.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 785.99.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last posted its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported GBX (14.20) earnings per share for the quarter. WH Smith had a return on equity of 17.78% and a net margin of 3.44%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SMWH shares. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of WH Smith to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from GBX 1,600 to GBX 700 in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 750 to GBX 800 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Peel Hunt reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 800 target price on shares of WH Smith in a report on Friday, December 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 875.20.

About WH Smith

WH Smith PLC operates as a retailer in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in two segments, Travel and High Street. The Travel segment offers news, books, and convenience for travelling customers. It operates stores in airports, hospitals, railway stations, and motorway service areas. The High Street segment sells stationery products, including greeting cards, general stationery, art and craft, and gifting products; news and impulse products, such as newspapers, magazines, confectionery, and drinks; and books.