Smiths News (LON:SNWS) Stock Price Up 3.2% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Smiths News plc (LON:SNWS) shot up 3.2% on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 64.60 ($0.81) and last traded at GBX 64.60 ($0.81). 322,837 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 581,274 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 62.60 ($0.79).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 95 ($1.19) price objective on shares of Smiths News in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Smiths News Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 60.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 59.19. The firm has a market capitalization of £153.16 million, a P/E ratio of 717.78, a PEG ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.83.

Smiths News Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a GBX 5.40 ($0.07) dividend. This is a positive change from Smiths News’s previous dividend of $1.75. This represents a yield of 9.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 9th. Smiths News’s payout ratio is currently 5,555.56%.

Insider Activity at Smiths News

In other news, insider Jonathan Bunting sold 490,569 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 61 ($0.77), for a total value of £299,247.09 ($376,080.29). Also, insider Paul Baker sold 319,586 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 61 ($0.77), for a total transaction of £194,947.46 ($245,001.21). Insiders have sold 1,993,578 shares of company stock valued at $121,608,258 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

About Smiths News

Smiths News plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distributing of newspapers and magazines in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Smiths News Core, Dawson Media Direct, Instore, and Other businesses segments. The company supplies inflight entertainment to airlines and travel points.