XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Stock Price Up 11.1% – What’s Next?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) was up 11.1% during mid-day trading on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 125% from the average daily volume of 1,504,858 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 347 ($4.37).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization 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 price of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 331.16.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) 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 business also recently announced 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 currently 8.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of XPS Pensions Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, for a total transaction 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.