FirstGroup (LON:FGP) Shares Down 12.9% – Time to Sell?

FirstGroup plc (LON:FGP) dropped 12.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 173.60 and last traded at GBX 174.50. Approximately 3,413,157 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 35% from the average daily volume of 2,523,303 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 200.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Panmure Gordon reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 250 price objective on shares of FirstGroup in a research note on Tuesday. Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 245 price target on shares of FirstGroup in a research note on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, FirstGroup presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 245.

FirstGroup Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 257.49. The company has a market capitalization of £973.16 million, a P/E ratio of 8.74, a PEG ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 211.44 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 212.89.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at FirstGroup

In other news, insider Graham Sutherland acquired 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 179 per share, for a total transaction of £89,500. Also, insider Lena Wilson CBE bought 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 178 per share, for a total transaction of £19,580. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 61,142 shares of company stock worth $10,938,084. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

FirstGroup Company Profile

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.