Bunzl (LON:BNZL) Trading Down 26.1% - Here's Why

Shares of Bunzl plc (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report) fell 26.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 2,252 ($29.95) and last traded at GBX 2,276 ($30.27). 120,840,211 shares traded 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 ($40.94).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BNZL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Shore Capital reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Bunzl in a report on Monday, March 31st. Citigroup upgraded Bunzl to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One research 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, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of GBX 3,375 ($44.89).

Bunzl Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a market cap of £7.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 3,048.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 3,308.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 123.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Bunzl (LON:BNZL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 194.30 ($2.58) EPS for the quarter. Bunzl had a net margin of 4.20% and a return on equity of 16.82%. Analysts anticipate that Bunzl plc 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 22nd will be issued a GBX 53.80 ($0.72) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 22nd. This represents a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Bunzl's previous dividend of $20.10. Bunzl's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.39%.

Insider Activity

In other Bunzl news, insider Richard Howes acquired 8,479 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,338 ($31.10) per share, with a total value of £198,239.02 ($263,685.85). Also, insider Frank van Zanten purchased 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 3,037 ($40.40) per share, with a total value of £121,480 ($161,585.53). Corporate 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.