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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s share price traded 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). 3,388,795 shares were traded 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

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

XPS Pensions Group Trading Up 11.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 331.24.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) 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 company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a dividend of GBX 3.70 ($0.05) per share. This represents a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of XPS Pensions Group stock in a transaction on 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 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.