The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 1,343.50 ($16.69) and last traded at GBX 1,341 ($16.65), with a volume of 6505574 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,329 ($16.51).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SGE has been the topic of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.05) to GBX 1,090 ($13.54) and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a GBX 1,090 ($13.54) price objective on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.53) to GBX 1,350 ($16.77) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 3,446.67 ($42.81).

The Sage Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of £13.28 billion, a PE ratio of 5,125.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 1,300.53 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 1,121.49.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 37.90 ($0.47) EPS for the quarter. The Sage Group had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 22.31%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of GBX 13.50 ($0.17) per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This is an increase from The Sage Group’s previous dividend of $6.95. This represents a dividend yield of 1.25%. The Sage Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7,692.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 27,844 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,310 ($16.27), for a total transaction of £364,756.40 ($453,000.99). Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

The Sage Group Company Profile

The Sage Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions and services for small and medium businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It offers cloud native solutions, such as Sage Intacct, a cloud accounting software product and financial management software; Sage People, a HR and people management solution; Sage 200, a finance and business management solution; Sage X3, a business management solution; Sage Accounting, a solution for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage customer data, accounts, and people; Sage Payroll for small businesses manage their payroll; and Sage HR for small and mid-sized businesses for record management, leave management, staff scheduling, and expenses services.