Marston’s (LON:MARS) Trading Down 11.9% – Here’s Why

Shares of Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) were down 11.9% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 60.70. Approximately 64,611,738 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 994% from the average daily volume of 5,905,274 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

More Marston’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marston’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Group like‑for‑like sales rose about 4% over the festive period, driven by holiday footfall — a clear demand signal for the pub estate. UK’s Marston’s sales rise 4%, boosted by holiday footfall
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported “strong festive trading” with c.4.0% like‑for‑like growth, reinforcing the win from seasonal trading and consumer demand. Marston’s reports strong festive trading with 4.0% like-for-like sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets label this a “bumper Christmas” with group sales up ~4%, supporting revenue momentum heading into the new financial period. Marston’s cheers bumper Christmas as sales rise 4%
• Positive Sentiment: New pub formats are delivering results, suggesting successful execution of the roll‑out strategy and potential for improving revenue per site. Marston’s raises a glass to festive performance as new pub formats deliver results
• Positive Sentiment: Initiative to introduce an industry‑first induction programme for pub partners aims to attract, develop and retain operators — a potential margin/operational benefit over time. Marston’s introduces industry first induction programme for pub partners
• Neutral Sentiment: An opinion piece argues the activist investor is wrong, defending management strategy — this may reduce activist tail‑risk but is unlikely to move the stock materially by itself. Why Marston’s activist investor is wrong
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the sales beat, at least one report notes shares slipped — suggesting investors remain worried about margins, high leverage and whether the sales growth will translate into improved profitability. Marston’s sales boosted by Christmas trading but shares slip

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Marston’s Trading Down 12.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96. The stock has a market capitalization of £383.10 million, a P/E ratio of 5.46, a P/E/G ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 60.37 and its two-hundred 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 EPS 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, analysts forecast that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Marston’s news, insider Justin Platt acquired 158,309 shares of Marston’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, with a total value of £93,402.31. Corporate 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.