Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 2,197 ($27.14).

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 1,810 ($22.36) price target on shares of Imperial Brands in a report on Monday, April 22nd.

Imperial Brands Trading Up 1.2 %

LON IMB opened at GBX 1,833.38 ($22.65) on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 157.30. Imperial Brands has a 52 week low of GBX 1,553.50 ($19.19) and a 52 week high of GBX 1,999 ($24.69). The stock has a market capitalization of £15.90 billion, a PE ratio of 730.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average of GBX 1,746.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 1,799.62.

Imperial Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were given a dividend of GBX 51.82 ($0.64) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 15th. This represents a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Imperial Brands’s previous dividend of $21.59. Imperial Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5,927.42%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Stefan Bomhard sold 140,219 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,843 ($22.76), for a total value of £2,584,236.17 ($3,191,991.32). In related news, insider Lukas Paravicini sold 57,407 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,825 ($22.54), for a total value of £1,047,677.75 ($1,294,068.37). Also, insider Stefan Bomhard sold 140,219 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,843 ($22.76), for a total transaction of £2,584,236.17 ($3,191,991.32). Insiders own 7.16% of the company’s stock.

Imperial Brands Company Profile

Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. It offers a range of cigarettes, tobacco accessories, vapour, heated tobacco, and oral nicotine. The company sells its products under various brands, including JPS, Davidoff, Gauloises, West, Winston, Kool, Lambert & Butler, Fortuna, Nobel, News, Backwoods, Champion, Golden Virginia, Rizla, Blu, Pulze, Skruf, and Zone X.