WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Here’s What Happened

Shares of WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 1,053 ($13.64) and last traded at GBX 1,062 ($13.76), with a volume of 69592 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,077 ($13.95).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SMWH. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of WH Smith from GBX 1,469 ($19.03) to GBX 1,460 ($18.91) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,600 ($20.73) price target on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

WH Smith Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 1,183.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 1,265.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of £1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67.

WH Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 16th were given a GBX 22.60 ($0.29) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 16th. This represents a yield of 1.74%. This is a boost from WH Smith’s previous dividend of $11.00. WH Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.01%.

WH Smith Company Profile

WH Smith PLC operates as a retailer in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates in two segments, Travel and High Street. The Travel segment offers news, books, and convenience for travelling customers. It operates stores in airports, hospitals, railway stations, and motorway service areas.