Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Trading Down 26.1% – Here’s Why

Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL) traded down 26.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 2,252 ($29.88) and last traded at GBX 2,276 ($30.20). 120,840,211 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 2,917% from the average session volume of 4,005,844 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,078 ($40.84).

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BNZL. Shore Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Citigroup upgraded Bunzl to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 3,375 ($44.78).

Bunzl Stock Up 0.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of £7.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is GBX 3,071.17 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 3,319.24.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 194.30 ($2.58) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Bunzl had a return on equity of 16.82% and a net margin of 4.20%. Equities analysts expect that Bunzl plc will post 213.3413462 earnings per share for the current year.

Bunzl Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be paid a GBX 53.80 ($0.71) dividend. This is an increase from Bunzl’s previous dividend of $20.10. This represents a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. Bunzl’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bunzl

In related news, insider Richard Howes purchased 8,479 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,338 ($31.02) per share, with a total value of £198,239.02 ($263,021.12). Also, insider Frank van Zanten acquired 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 3,037 ($40.29) per share, with a total value of £121,480 ($161,178.19). Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Bunzl Company Profile

Bunzl plc operates as a distribution and services company in the North America, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers food packaging, films, labels, cleaning and hygiene supplies, and personal protection equipment to grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores.