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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s stock price shot up 11.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock 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).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on XPS. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Trading Up 11.1 %

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 company has a market cap of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 331.24.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is 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 on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). Corporate 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.