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

Shares of XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) traded up 11.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company 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 Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. 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. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, XPS Pensions Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

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 stock has a market cap of £795.95 million, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 331.24.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, for a total transaction of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). 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.