XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Stock Price Up 11.1% – Here’s Why

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) traded up 11.1% 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 changed hands 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).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 331.24. 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 cap of £795.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last posted its earnings results 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 business also recently declared 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. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.03%.

Insider Activity at XPS Pensions Group

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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). 5.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.