The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,107.95 ($13.64) and traded as high as GBX 1,323.50 ($16.29). The Sage Group shares last traded at GBX 1,318.11 ($16.23), with a volume of 3,586,062 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SGE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.40) to GBX 1,350 ($16.62) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($11.94) to GBX 1,090 ($13.42) and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 3,918 ($48.23).

The Sage Group Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 1,262.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 1,109.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72. The stock has a market cap of £13.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5,126.92, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53.

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

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 70,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,270 ($15.63), for a total transaction of £889,000 ($1,094,423.24). 1.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About The Sage Group

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.