XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Stock Price Up 11.1% – Should You Buy?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s share price shot 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 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).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XPS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Shore Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a 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 report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Up 11.1 %

The firm has a market cap of £795.95 million, a price-to-earnings 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.16.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last issued its 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 company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors 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 was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.03%.

Insider Activity at XPS Pensions Group

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 currently owned by company 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.