WH Smith (LON:SMWH) Posts Earnings Results

WH Smith (LON:SMWH) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported GBX 23.40 ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Digital Look Earnings reports. WH Smith had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 17.78%.

WH Smith Price Performance

Shares of LON SMWH opened at GBX 931 ($12.35) on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 253.13, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 1,071 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,202.61. The stock has a market capitalization of £1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. WH Smith has a fifty-two week low of GBX 872.50 ($11.58) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,499 ($19.89).

WH Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 16th were paid a GBX 22.60 ($0.30) dividend. This is a boost from WH Smith’s previous dividend of $11.00. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 16th. This represents a yield of 1.74%. WH Smith’s payout ratio is presently 66.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SMWH. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 1,600 ($21.23) target price on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “not rated” rating on shares of WH Smith in a research report on Wednesday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Annette Court purchased 1,090 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 918 ($12.18) per share, for a total transaction of £10,006.20 ($13,276.10). 1.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.