Marston’s (LON:MARS) Stock Price Down 9.8% – Time to Sell?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) shares were down 9.8% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 62.12. Approximately 59,718,227 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 957% from the average daily volume of 5,647,721 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Panmure Gordon reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 80 target price on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Shore Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Marston’s in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marston’s from GBX 78 to GBX 85 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 75 price target on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £383.88 million, a PE ratio of 5.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 60.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 48.19.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 15th. The company reported GBX 8.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Marston’s had a negative net margin of 1.91% and a negative return on equity of 2.72%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marston’s

In related news, insider Justin Platt purchased 158,309 shares of Marston’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, with a total value of £93,402.31. 1.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marston’s Company Profile

Marston’s PLC operates managed, franchised, tenanted, partnership, and leased pubs in the United Kingdom. It is also involved in the property management; telecommunications; and insurance businesses. The company was formerly known as The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC and changed its name to Marston’s PLC in January 2007. The company was founded in 1834 and is based in Wolverhampton, the United Kingdom.