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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) traded up 11.1% on Saturday . The stock traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares traded 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

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed 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 given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 331.16. 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 capitalization of £795.95 million, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last posted 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 business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued 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 is 8.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price 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 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.