Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) Sets New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Imperial Brands PLC (LON:IMB - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,700. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Imperial Brands traded as high as GBX 3,278 and last traded at GBX 3,277, with a volume of 10924398 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,218.Altria Group stock gets smoked, but there’s a silver liningA number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on IMB. Panmure Gordon reissued a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 4,200 target price on shares of Imperial Brands in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Imperial Brands from GBX 2,400 to GBX 2,700 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Imperial Brands from GBX 3,425 to GBX 3,650 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Imperial Brands in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 3,562.50.Get Imperial Brands alerts:View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Imperial BrandsInsider Transactions at Imperial BrandsIn other Imperial Brands news, insider Alan Johnson purchased 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 3,066 per share, for a total transaction of £18,396. Company insiders own 0.43% of the company's stock. Imperial Brands Stock Up 1.8%The company has a market cap of £26.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94, a P/E/G ratio of 16.51 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's 50-day moving average is GBX 3,105.96 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 3,001.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 166.91. Imperial Brands (LON:IMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 18th. The company reported GBX 315 EPS for the quarter. Imperial Brands had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 41.84%. On average, analysts anticipate that Imperial Brands PLC will post 246.5723613 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Imperial Brands (Get Free Report)Further ReadingFive stocks we like better than Imperial BrandsThe Significance of Brokerage Rankings in Stock SelectionIs It Time to Invest in Your Kid's Favorite Gaming Platform?How to Plot Fibonacci Price Inflection Levels 5 Stocks to Buy Before Santa Claus Comes to TownWhy Are These Companies Considered Blue Chips?History Says These are 3 Stocks to Buy for DecemberThis instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.Should You Invest $1,000 in Imperial Brands Right Now?Before you consider Imperial Brands, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Imperial Brands wasn't on the list.While Imperial Brands currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here