NEXT (LON:NXT) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

NEXT plc (LON:NXT)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as £146.40 and last traded at £145.25, with a volume of 387596 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at £144.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a £142 price target on shares of NEXT in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of NEXT from £147 to £178 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on NEXT from £108 to £116 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on NEXT from £117 to £130.30 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Peel Hunt reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a £115 price objective on shares of NEXT in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, NEXT has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of £138.13.

NEXT Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of £16.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.66 and a beta of 1.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is £127.62 and its 200 day moving average is £124.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 76.08.

NEXT (LON:NXT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The company reported GBX 324.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. NEXT had a net margin of 13.77% and a return on equity of 55.99%. As a group, equities analysts predict that NEXT plc will post 660.7526882 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Richard Papp sold 2,518 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of £140.44, for a total transaction of £353,627.92. Also, insider Amy Stirling bought 472 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of £116.34 per share, for a total transaction of £54,912.48. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About NEXT

Founded as a tailoring business in Leeds in 1864 by Joseph Hepworth and Son, today, the company offers clothing, footwear, accessories, beauty and home products to our UK and International customers.

NEXT has over 500 stores in the United Kingdom and Eire, and over 180 franchise branches across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.