Whitbread shares continue to trade lower amid grim outlook
The British hotel and restaurant group continues to see its share price come under pressure amid a challenging outlook that could push the stock below £20 per share.
Whitbread shares are down 45% year-to-date, with the stock falling a further 2% on Monday after investors grow increasingly concerned about the prospect of a second-wave of coronavirus cases that could spell disaster for the company.
Analysts at JP Morgan believe the British hotel and restaurant group could fall even further over the course of this year due to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the US-based investment bank issuing a target price of £20 per share – implying a potential downside of 13.5%.
Whitbread closed on Monday at £23.13 per share.
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 much does it cost to buy UK shares with IG?
There are three ways to ‘buy’ UK shares with IG: spread betting, trading CFDs or buying physical shares. The cost will depend on which method you choose. The table below illustrates how the costs to get exposure to £10,000 of Lloyds stock, which is equivalent to 16,000 shares (quoted at 62.5p a share).
Remember, spread bets and CFDs are derivatives, which come with higher risk and reward than investing.
Cost to get exposure to Lloyds stock
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £160 per point | Buy 16,000 share CFDs | Buy 16,000 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000 | £2000 | £10,000 |
| Total fees | £20.88 | £20.88 | £16 |
Ready to start trading shares? Open a live account or practise on a demo.
Note: Amounts do not include overnight funding charges and taxes. Spread bets are not subject to tax. CFDs are free from stamp duty, but subject to capital gains tax. Share dealing is subject to both stamp duty and capital gains tax.
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. 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. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
Act on share opportunities today
Go long or short on thousands of international stocks with spread bets and CFDs.
- Get full exposure for a comparatively small deposit
- Trade on spreads from just 0.1%
- Get greater order book visibility with direct market access
See opportunity on a stock?
Try a risk-free trade in your demo account, and see whether you’re on to something.
- Log in to your demo
- Take your position
- See whether your hunch pays off
See opportunity on a stock?
Don’t miss your chance – upgrade to a live account to take advantage.
- Trade a huge range of popular stocks
- Analyse and deal seamlessly on fast, intuitive charts
- See and react to breaking news in-platform
See opportunity on a stock?
Don’t miss your chance. Log in to take advantage while conditions prevail.
Live prices on most popular markets
- Equities
- Indices
- Forex
- Commodities
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All share prices are delayed by at least 15 minutes.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and agreements. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
