XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading 11.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s stock price traded up 11.1% on Saturday . The stock traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares were traded during 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 equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Shore Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Trading Up 11.1 %

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

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

XPS Pensions Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a dividend of GBX 3.70 ($0.05) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of XPS Pensions Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). Corporate insiders own 5.14% of the company’s stock.

About XPS Pensions Group

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.