Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,375 ($43.68).

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on BNZL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a GBX 2,800 ($36.24) target price on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Bunzl in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Bunzl from GBX 3,980 ($51.51) to GBX 4,150 ($53.71) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Bunzl to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bunzl

In related news, insider Frank van Zanten purchased 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 3,037 ($39.31) per share, with a total value of £121,480 ($157,235.31). Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Bunzl Stock Down 0.7 %

BNZL opened at GBX 2,966 ($38.39) on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of £9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.45. Bunzl has a one year low of GBX 2,884 ($37.33) and a one year high of GBX 3,732 ($48.30). The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 3,240.74 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 3,395.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 194.30 ($2.51) EPS for the quarter. Bunzl had a return on equity of 16.82% and a net margin of 4.20%. Equities research analysts expect that Bunzl will post 213.3413462 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bunzl Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a GBX 53.80 ($0.70) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Bunzl’s previous dividend of $20.10. Bunzl’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.39%.

About Bunzl

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.