Marston’s (LON:MARS) Shares Down 13.2% – Time to Sell?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS)’s share price traded down 13.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 59.80. 66,252,336 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1,006% from the average session volume of 5,991,621 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Key Headlines Impacting Marston’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on Marston’s, supporting the case that some brokers still see upside in the shares. Shore Capital buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Company reports strong Christmas/festive trading, with management calling the holiday period a standout and citing improved footfall. Marston’s toasts strong Christmas trading
• Positive Sentiment: Like?for?like sales rose about 4.0% over the festive period, evidence that the group’s new formats and trading initiatives are driving revenue gains. Marston’s reports 4.0% LFL sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management says an accelerated roll?out of new pub formats is delivering further trading momentum, a potential driver of future growth if execution continues. Marston’s accelerates pub format roll-out
• Positive Sentiment: Marston’s launched an industry?first induction programme aimed at attracting and retaining pub operators, which could help sustain operational performance and reduce franchisee churn. Induction programme for pub partners
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary and opinion pieces are active (including perspectives on an activist investor), keeping the stock in focus but adding debate rather than clear directional news. Why Marston’s activist investor is wrong
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the festive uplift, headlines flagged flat quarterly sales in the latest update — the immediate trigger cited for heavy selling and the sharp share decline reported by multiple outlets. Shares plunge 16% on flat quarterly sales
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports note that the shares have slid sharply despite the upbeat trading tone, suggesting the market is focused on near?term momentum, underlying margins or balance?sheet concerns rather than the headline sales growth. Marston’s reports strong festive sales but shares slide

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Marston’s Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 60.37 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 48.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of £377.55 million, a PE ratio of 5.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 15th. The company reported GBX 8.50 earnings per share for the quarter. Marston’s had a negative return on equity of 2.72% and a negative net margin of 1.91%. Equities analysts predict that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Justin Platt bought 158,309 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction of £93,402.31. Insiders own 1.32% of the company’s stock.

Marston’s Company Profile

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.