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

Shares of XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) 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 mid-day 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

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

XPS Pensions Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.24. The stock has a market capitalization 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 net margin of 128.13% and a return on equity of 156.24%.

XPS Pensions Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of XPS Pensions Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was acquired 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 currently owned by corporate 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.