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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares were 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). Approximately 3,388,795 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 125% from the average daily 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 issued reports on XPS shares. Shore Capital reaffirmed 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 ($5.04) 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 ($5.47) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.48).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52. The firm has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.31.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last issued 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 return on equity of 156.24% and a net margin of 128.13%.

XPS Pensions Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid 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 currently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 ($57,221.25). 5.14% of the stock is owned by company 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.