XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading Up 11.1% – Time to Buy?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) was up 11.1% on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 125% from the average daily volume of 1,504,858 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 347 ($4.37).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on XPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, XPS Pensions Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Up 11.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.16.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. XPS Pensions Group had a return on equity of 156.24% and a net margin of 128.13%.

XPS Pensions Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is presently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). 5.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

XPS Pensions Group Company Profile

XPS Group is a leading UK consulting and administration business specialising in the pensions and insurance sectors. A FTSE 250 company, XPS combines expertise and insight with advanced technology and analytics to address the needs of over 1,400 pension schemes and their sponsoring employers on an ongoing and project basis.