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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s share price shot up 11.1% during mid-day trading on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($4.99) 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).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on XPS. Shore Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.47) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.04) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.48).

XPS Pensions Group Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 343.54 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 331.31. The firm has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) EPS 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a dividend of GBX 3.70 ($0.05) per share. This represents a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,221.25). 5.14% of the stock is currently owned by 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.