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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) was up 11.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares changed 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 research analysts have recently commented on XPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.24. The firm 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a dividend of GBX 3.70 ($0.05) per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). 5.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.