WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 406.16 and last traded at GBX 412.37, with a volume of 3884360 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 491.20.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SMWH shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 762 to GBX 680 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 600 price target on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 675 to GBX 650 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WH Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 703.29.

WH Smith Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 846.40. The stock has a market capitalization of £494.79 million, a PE ratio of -4.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 539.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 607.12.

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The company reported GBX (20) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of £748 million for the quarter. WH Smith had a negative net margin of 9.48% and a negative return on equity of 90.46%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that WH Smith PLC will post 100.9372747 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WH Smith

In other news, insider Leo Quinn bought 17,764 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 560 per share, with a total value of £99,478.40. 1.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.