Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as GBX 2,866 ($37.51) and last traded at GBX 2,918 ($38.19), with a volume of 1340089 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,010 ($39.40).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BNZL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Bunzl to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating and set a GBX 2,800 ($36.65) price target on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Bunzl in a research note on Monday, March 31st. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Bunzl has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of GBX 3,375 ($44.18).

Bunzl Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.00, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of £9.82 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.45. The company's fifty day simple moving average is GBX 3,128.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 3,344.18.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 194.30 ($2.54) EPS for the quarter. Bunzl had a net margin of 4.20% and a return on equity of 16.82%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Bunzl plc will post 213.3413462 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bunzl Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of GBX 53.80 ($0.70) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Bunzl's previous dividend of $20.10. Bunzl's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.39%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Frank van Zanten purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 3,037 ($39.75) per share, with a total value of £121,480 ($159,005.24). 0.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.