UBS analysts believe Whitbread share price set to trade higher ahead of Q1 earnings
The British multinational hotel and restaurant group will unveil its first quarter (Q1) earnings on Tuesday 7 July, with analysts from UBS remaining optimistic that the stock has room to grow in 2020 as lockdown restrictions ease.
Whitbread will unveil its first quarter (Q1) earnings on Tuesday 7 July, with analysts from UBS remaining optimistic that the stock has room to grow in 2020 as lockdown restrictions ease.
In fact, analysts at the Swiss investment bank reiterated their ‘buy’ rating for the stock and issued a target price of £29 per share last week ahead of earnings season – implying a potential upside for Whitbread of 18.9%.
Whitbread is trading at £24.38 per share at the time of publication, with the stock down 42% year-to-date.
Whitbread raises £1 billion to bolster balance sheet
The billion pound rights issue at £15 a share will not only strengthen its balance sheet during these unprecedented market conditions, but also help the hotel and restaurant owner take advantage of cheaper land prices in the UK and Germany in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
‘Despite the challenges the industry faces, Whitbread’s strategy to drive long-term value has not changed and remains compelling,’ insisted Whitbread CEO Alison Brittain.
‘We have a significant opportunity to continue to build out our pipeline in the UK, along with optimising our large network of hotels by investing in upgraded formats such as our Premier Plus rooms, which are proving very popular with both our business and leisure guests,’ Brittain said.
‘Germany offers an enormous opportunity for structural growth, with a large domestic market and a fragmented and declining independent sector,’ she added.
Whitbread sees full-year profit slide amid Covid-19
Whitbread’s 2020 full-year results saw its pre-tax profit fall 8.2% to £358 million due to weaker UK travel market conditions, with the company opting to suspend its dividend pay-outs to shareholders for the foreseeable future.
‘Covid-19 is expected to result in a very material loss of revenue during 2021 and, despite the actions the group is taking, this is likely, given the group's high fixed and semi-variable costs, to have a material impact on earnings which may result in the group not making any profit during the financial year, with the clear possibility that it is materially loss-making during that period,’ the company said.
How to trade stocks with IG
Looking to trade Whitbread and other stocks? Open a live or demo account with IG and buy (long) or sell (short) shares using derivatives like CFDs in a few easy steps:
- Create an IG trading account or log in to your existing account
- Enter ‘Whitbread’ in the search bar and select it
- Choose your position size
- Click on ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ in the deal ticket
- Confirm the trade
IGA, may distribute information/research produced by its respective foreign affiliates within the IG Group of companies pursuant to an arrangement under Regulation 32C of the Financial Advisers Regulations. Where the research is distributed in Singapore to a person who is not an Accredited Investor, Expert Investor or an Institutional Investor, IGA accepts legal responsibility for the contents of the report to such persons only to the extent required by law. Singapore recipients should contact IGA at 6390 5118 for matters arising from, or in connection with the information distributed.
The information/research herein is prepared by IG Asia Pte Ltd (IGA) and its foreign affiliated companies (collectively known as the IG Group) and is intended for general circulation only. It does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation, or particular needs of any particular person. You should take into account your specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs before making a commitment to trade, including seeking advice from an independent financial adviser regarding the suitability of the investment, under a separate engagement, as you deem fit.
No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently, any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Please see important Research Disclaimer.
Please also note that the information does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. Any views and opinions expressed may be changed without an update.
Seize a share opportunity today
Go long or short on thousands of international stocks.
- Increase your market exposure with leverage
- Get spreads from just 0.1% on major global shares
- Trade CFDs straight into order books with direct market access
Live prices on most popular markets
- Forex
- Shares
- Indices
See more forex live prices
See more shares live prices
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
See more indices live prices
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 20 mins.
