FirstGroup (LON:FGP) Shares Down 12.7% – Time to Sell?

FirstGroup plc (LON:FGP)’s stock price fell 12.7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 173.80 and last traded at GBX 175. 3,063,018 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 21% from the average session volume of 2,521,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 200.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FGP. Panmure Gordon reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 250 price target on shares of FirstGroup in a research report on Tuesday. Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 245 target price on shares of FirstGroup in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 245.

FirstGroup Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 257.49, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is GBX 211.44 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 212.89. The firm has a market capitalization of £973.16 million, a PE ratio of 8.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 1.59.

FirstGroup (LON:FGP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The transport operator reported GBX 9.90 earnings per share for the quarter. FirstGroup had a negative net margin of 0.34% and a negative return on equity of 2.54%. As a group, research analysts forecast that FirstGroup plc will post 17.3782772 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Graham Sutherland bought 50,000 shares of FirstGroup stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 179 per share, with a total value of £89,500. Also, insider Lena Wilson CBE purchased 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 178 per share, with a total value of £19,580. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 61,142 shares of company stock worth $10,938,084. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About FirstGroup

FirstGroup plc provides public transport services in the United Kingdom. The company operates through First Bus and First Rail segments. The First Bus segment offers local bus services with a fleet of approximately 4,900 buses in the United Kingdom. The First Rail segment operates a passenger rail network that provides long-distance, commuter, regional, and sleeper services through a portfolio of Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express, and Avanti West Coast franchises; and hull trains and Lumos.