How to buy Marstons shares | 56.95p

Marston's PLC (MARS) is a leading restaurants business based in the UK. It opened the day at 57p after a previous close of 55.85p. During the day the price has varied from a low of 55.7p to a high of 59.854p. The latest price was 56.95p (25 minute delay). Marstons is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and employs 14,000 staff. All prices are listed in pence sterling.

How to buy shares in Marstons

1. Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
2. Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
3. Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
4. Search the platform for stock code: MARS in this case.
5. Research Marstons shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
6. Buy your Marstons shares. It's that simple.

How has Coronavirus impacted Marstons's share price?

Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, Marstons's share price has had significant negative movement.

Its last market close was 52.2p, which is 51.08% down on its pre-crash value of 106.7p and 183.70% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as 18.4p.

If you had bought £1,000 worth of Marstons shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth £240.30 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth £491.53.

Marstons share price

Use our graph to track the performance of MARS stocks over time.

Marstons shares at a glance

• Live prices
• Key figures

Information last updated 2020-07-02.

Open	57p
High	59.854p
Low	55.7p
Close	56.95p
Previous close	55.85p
Change	1.1p
Change %	1.97%
Volume	6,649,848

Information last updated 2020-08-02.

52-week range	18.4p - 133.8p
50-day moving average	50.2528p
200-day moving average	62.0301p
Wall St. target price	108.33p
PE ratio	11.3017
Dividend yield	0.07p (20.75%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	11.6p

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Is it a good time to buy Marstons stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Marstons price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the last close of 56.95p

1 week (2020-08-03)	N/A
1 month (2020-07-10)	N/A
3 months (2020-05-14)	77.97%
6 months (2020-02-10)	N/A

1 year (2019-08-10)	N/A
2 years (2018-08-10)	N/A
3 years (2017-08-10)	N/A
5 years (2015-08-10)	N/A

Is Marstons under- or over-valued?

Valuing Marstons stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Marstons's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Marstons's P/E ratio

Marstons's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 11x. In other words, Marstons shares trade at around 11x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the FTSE 250 at the end of September 2019 (19.71). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

However, Marstons's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the restaurants industry or those of similar companies.

• The City Pub Group (CPC.LSE): 33.10
• Young-and-Co-s Brewery P-L-C (YNGA.LSE): 23.63
• J D Wetherspoon (JDW.LSE): 12.13
• Mitchells-and-Butlers (MAB.LSE): 12.60
• Fuller Smith-and-Turner P-L-C (FSTA.LSE): 42.05
• Whitbread (WTB.LSE): 18.35

Marstons's PEG ratio

Marstons's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 3.25. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Marstons's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

However, it's sensible to consider Marstons's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.

• Mitchells-and-Butlers (MAB.LSE): 12.10
• Whitbread (WTB.LSE): 2.27

Marstons's EBITDA

Marstons's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is £185.6 million.

The EBITDA is a measure of a Marstons's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

To put Marstons's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.

• Loungers (LGRS.LSE): £20 million
• Revolution Bars Group (RBG.LSE): GBP£16.6 million
• The City Pub Group (CPC.LSE): £8.8 million
• Young-and-Co-s Brewery P-L-C (YNGA.LSE): GBP£70.2 million
• J D Wetherspoon (JDW.LSE): £231.6 million
• Mitchells-and-Butlers (MAB.LSE): £371 million
• The Restaurant Group (RTN.LSE): £132.6 million
• Fuller Smith-and-Turner P-L-C (FSTA.LSE): £30.5 million
• Whitbread (WTB.LSE): £631 million

Marstons financials

Revenue TTM	£1.1 billion
Operating margin TTM	12.1%
Gross profit TTM	£446.2 million
Return on assets TTM	2.84%
Return on equity TTM	-7.4%
Profit margin	-5.32%
Book value	1.153p
Market capitalisation	£265.5 million

TTM: trailing 12 months

Marstons share dividends

We're not expecting Marstons to pay a dividend over the next 12 months. However, you can browse other dividend-paying shares in our guide.

You may also wish to consider:

• Revolution Bars Group (RBG.LSE) (6.23% forward annual dividend yield)
• The City Pub Group (CPC.LSE) (2.8% forward annual dividend yield)
• Young-and-Co-s Brewery P-L-C (YNGA.LSE) (1.99% forward annual dividend yield)
• J D Wetherspoon (JDW.LSE) (1.38% forward annual dividend yield)
• The Restaurant Group (RTN.LSE) (7.83% forward annual dividend yield)
• Fuller Smith-and-Turner P-L-C (FSTA.LSE) (1.71% forward annual dividend yield)
• Whitbread (WTB.LSE) (4.03% forward annual dividend yield)

Have Marstons's shares ever split?

Marstons's shares were split on a 4:1 basis on 9 January 2007. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 4 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Marstons shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 75% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Marstons shares which in turn could have impacted Marstons's share price.

Marstons share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Marstons's shares have ranged in value from as little as 18.4p up to 133.8p. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (LSE average) beta is 1, while Marstons's is 1.2593. This would suggest that Marstons's shares are more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

To put Marstons's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.

• Revolution Bars Group (RBG.LSE): 1.6244
• The City Pub Group (CPC.LSE): 2.0966
• Young-and-Co-s Brewery P-L-C (YNGA.LSE): 0.6436
• J D Wetherspoon (JDW.LSE): 1.1221
• Mitchells-and-Butlers (MAB.LSE): 1.3738
• The Restaurant Group (RTN.LSE): 1.5506
• Fuller Smith-and-Turner P-L-C (FSTA.LSE): 0.8634
• Whitbread (WTB.LSE): 0.7884
• Ei Group (ETINY.US): 0.4782

Marstons overview

Marston's PLC operates managed, franchised, tenanted, and leased pubs, bars, restaurants, and accommodations in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Destination and Premium, Taverns, and Brewing. It provides premium cask, kegs, and bottled and canned beers through its six breweries under the Pedigree, Hobgoblin, Wainwright, and Shipyard brands, as well as under the licensed brands, including Estrella Damm. The company distributes its beers through 12 depots and distribution centers to estates, supermarkets, other pubs, and leisure businesses. It operates through approximately 1,400 bars, pubs and lodges, breweries, depots, and offices; approximately 1,700 rooms; and 30 stand-alone lodges. The company also exports its beers to approximately 61 countries. It is also involved in the property management; telecommunications; and insurance businesses. The company was formerly known as The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC and changed its name to Marston's PLC in January 2007. Marston's PLC was founded in 1834 and is headquartered in Wolverhampton, the United Kingdom.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of Marstons is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 2.361% of Marstons shares are held by insiders and 58.995% by institutions.

• How many people work for Marstons?

  Latest data suggests 14,000 work at Marstons.

• When does the fiscal year end for Marstons?

  Marstons's fiscal year ends in September.

• Where is Marstons based?

  Marstons's address is: Marston's House, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, WV1 4JT

• What is Marstons's ISIN number?

  Marstons's international securities identification number is: GB00B1JQDM80