XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading 11.1% Higher – Here’s What Happened

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares traded up 11.1% on Friday . The company 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 Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, XPS Pensions Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 331.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52.

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 (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 announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid 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 currently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). Company insiders own 5.14% of the company’s stock.

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.