WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Shares Pass Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH)’s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,276.59 ($16.02) and traded as low as GBX 1,169 ($14.67). WH Smith shares last traded at GBX 1,178 ($14.78), with a volume of 92,935 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on WH Smith from GBX 1,469 ($18.43) to GBX 1,460 ($18.32) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 1,310 ($16.44) price objective on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,600 ($20.08) target price on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th.

WH Smith Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 326.20. The stock has a market cap of £1.54 billion, a PE ratio of 2,397.96, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 1,268.35 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 1,276.59.

WH Smith Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be issued a dividend of GBX 22.60 ($0.28) per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 16th. This is an increase from WH Smith’s previous dividend of $11.00. This represents a yield of 1.74%. WH Smith’s dividend payout ratio is 6,530.61%.

Insider Transactions at WH Smith

In other news, insider Robert Moorhead sold 10,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,266 ($15.88), for a total value of £129,056.04 ($161,927.28). Also, insider Situl Jobanputra purchased 1,250 shares of WH Smith stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 1,255 ($15.75) per share, with a total value of £15,687.50 ($19,683.19). Corporate insiders own 1.21% of the company’s stock.

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.