Marston’s (LON:MARS) Trading Down 13.4% – What’s Next?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) shares dropped 13.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 59.70. Approximately 107,206,734 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1,216% from the average daily volume of 8,147,116 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Marston’s Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of £381.98 million, a PE ratio of 5.44, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 61.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 48.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Justin Platt acquired 158,309 shares of Marston’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, with a total value of £93,402.31. Insiders own 1.32% of the company’s stock.

About Marston’s

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.