Canaccord Genuity Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Stock Price

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) had its price objective lowered by stock analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group from GBX 680 to GBX 555 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Digital Look reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 39.73% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on WH Smith from GBX 700 to GBX 575 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Berenberg Bank decreased their target price on shares of WH Smith from GBX 574 to GBX 420 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 600 target price on shares of WH Smith in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 550 to GBX 390 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 570.

WH Smith Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of LON SMWH traded up GBX 14 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching GBX 397.20. 600,694 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,233,286. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 505.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 589.16. The stock has a market capitalization of £495.29 million, a P/E ratio of -4.11, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,244.71, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.33. WH Smith has a twelve month low of GBX 378.60 and a twelve month high of GBX 1,132.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported GBX (20) EPS for the quarter. WH Smith had a negative net margin of 9.48% and a negative return on equity of 105.35%. The firm had revenue of £748 million for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that WH Smith will post 100.9372747 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other WH Smith news, insider Max Izzard purchased 36,585 shares of WH Smith stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 410 per share, with a total value of £149,998.50. Also, insider Simon Emeny acquired 2,439 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 410 per share, with a total value of £9,999.90. Insiders acquired a total of 438,494 shares of company stock worth $182,447,140 over the last 90 days. 1.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

WH Smith Company Profile

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.