Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 415.83.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MKS. Berenberg Bank raised Marks and Spencer Group to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from GBX 412 to GBX 415 in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Shore Capital reissued a “house stock” rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Marks and Spencer Group to a “sector perform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from GBX 375 to GBX 400 in a report on Monday, October 20th. Peel Hunt restated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 360 price target on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Marks and Spencer Group in a report on Friday, January 9th.

Marks and Spencer Group Trading Up 1.0%

MKS stock opened at GBX 367.31 on Tuesday. Marks and Spencer Group has a one year low of GBX 315.30 and a one year high of GBX 417.80. The company has a market capitalization of £7.41 billion, a PE ratio of 408.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 337.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 352. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 95.00, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Marks and Spencer Group (LON:MKS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The retailer reported GBX 6.60 EPS for the quarter. Marks and Spencer Group had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 17.23%. As a group, analysts predict that Marks and Spencer Group will post 26.0113154 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marks and Spencer Group

In related news, insider Sean Doyle acquired 2,526 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 334 per share, for a total transaction of £8,436.84. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

About Marks and Spencer Group

M&S has a heritage of quality, innovation and value for money and has been voted the UK’s most trusted brand. From these foundations, M&S is reshaping for sustainable profitable growth and value creation.

We operate as a family of businesses, selling high-quality, great-value, own-brand products and services, alongside a carefully selected range of third-party brands. We do this through a network of stores and websites globally, and together, across our stores, support centres, warehouses and supply chain, our 65,000 colleagues serve over 30 million customers each year.