The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,149.86 ($14.53) and traded as high as GBX 1,312.50 ($16.58). The Sage Group shares last traded at GBX 1,302.98 ($16.46), with a volume of 1,602,374 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SGE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.78) to GBX 1,350 ($17.06) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.26) to GBX 1,090 ($13.77) and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a GBX 1,090 ($13.77) target price on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Sage Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 3,446.67 ($43.55).

The Sage Group Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of £12.90 billion, a PE ratio of 50.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 114.00, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is GBX 1,308.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1,149.86.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 37.90 ($0.48) EPS for the quarter. The Sage Group had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 24.48%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued a GBX 13.50 ($0.17) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.25%. This is an increase from The Sage Group’s previous dividend of $6.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. The Sage Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.74%.

Insider Transactions at The Sage Group

In other The Sage Group news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 27,844 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,310 ($16.55), for a total transaction of £364,756.40 ($460,841.95). 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About The Sage Group

The Sage Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions and services for small and medium businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It offers cloud native solutions, such as Sage Intacct, a cloud accounting software product and financial management software; Sage People, a HR and people management solution; Sage 200, a finance and business management solution; Sage X3, a business management solution; Sage Accounting, a solution for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage customer data, accounts, and people; Sage Payroll for small businesses manage their payroll; and Sage HR for small and mid-sized businesses for record management, leave management, staff scheduling, and expenses services.