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

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Up 11.1 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 331.24. The firm has a market cap of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) 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 disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is 8.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, for a total transaction of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). Company insiders own 5.14% of the company’s stock.

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.