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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares shot 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 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).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on XPS. Shore Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Up 11.1 %

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 331.24. The stock has a market capitalization 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 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 firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is presently 8.03%.

Insider Transactions at XPS Pensions Group

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average price 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.

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.