Marston’s (LON:MARS) Shares Down 10.6% – Should You Sell?

Marston’s PLC (LON:MARS) shares traded down 10.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 57.45 and last traded at GBX 61.60. 58,009,496 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 944% from the average session volume of 5,557,788 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Panmure Gordon reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 80 price objective on shares of Marston’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Peel Hunt reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 75 price target on shares of Marston’s in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Marston’s in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marston’s presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of GBX 80.

Marston’s Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 60.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 48.19. The firm has a market cap of £383.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.16 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 198.96.

Marston’s (LON:MARS) last posted 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Marston’s PLC will post 8.364486 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Justin Platt acquired 158,309 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 24th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 59 per share, for a total transaction 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.