WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) Plans Dividend Increase – GBX 22.60 Per Share

WH Smith PLC (LON:SMWH) announced a dividend on Friday, November 14th,Upcoming Dividends.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of GBX 22.60 ($0.28) per share on Thursday, February 6th. This represents a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 16th. This is an increase from WH Smith’s previous dividend of $11.00. The official announcement can be viewed at this link.

WH Smith Price Performance

Shares of SMWH opened at GBX 1,140 ($13.95) on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is GBX 1,227.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1,275.86. The company has a market capitalization of £1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,326.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 326.20, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.64. WH Smith has a fifty-two week low of GBX 1,069 ($13.08) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,499 ($18.34).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SMWH shares. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on WH Smith from GBX 1,469 ($17.98) to GBX 1,460 ($17.87) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 1,600 ($19.58) price target on shares of WH Smith in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

Insider Activity at WH Smith

In other news, insider Situl Jobanputra acquired 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,255 ($15.36) per share, with a total value of £15,687.50 ($19,196.65). Also, insider Robert Moorhead sold 10,194 shares of WH Smith stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,266 ($15.49), for a total transaction of £129,056.04 ($157,924.67). 1.21% of the stock is owned by 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.