Compass Group (LON:CPG) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Compass Group PLC (LON:CPG) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,466.36 ($30.01) and traded as high as GBX 2,700 ($32.85). Compass Group shares last traded at GBX 2,675 ($32.55), with a volume of 2,215,306 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Compass Group from GBX 2,500 ($30.42) to GBX 2,600 ($31.63) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Compass Group from GBX 2,460 ($29.93) to GBX 2,900 ($35.28) and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 2,675 ($32.55).

Compass Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of £45.48 billion, a PE ratio of 3,519.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 2,663.86 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 2,468.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 89.31, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Compass Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.17%. This is a boost from Compass Group’s previous dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 16th. Compass Group’s payout ratio is presently 5,789.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Palmer Brown purchased 9,401 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 2,656 ($32.32) per share, with a total value of £249,690.56 ($303,796.76). Also, insider Dominic Blakemore sold 119,821 shares of Compass Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,692 ($32.75), for a total value of £3,225,581.32 ($3,924,542.30). 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Compass Group

Compass Group PLC is a world leading food service company, which generated annual revenues of £31.3 billion in the year to 30 September 2023. It serves meals to millions of people in c. 35 countries and employs and engages with c. 550,000 people. The Company specialises in providing food and a range of targeted support services across the core sectors of Business & Industry, Healthcare & Senior Living, Education, Sports & Leisure and Defence, Offshore & Remote, with an established brand portfolio.