Compass Group (LON:CPG) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Compass Group PLC (LON:CPG) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 2,789 ($34.58) and last traded at GBX 2,784 ($34.52), with a volume of 5161919 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,762 ($34.25).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CPG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Compass Group from GBX 2,500 ($31.00) to GBX 2,600 ($32.24) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on Compass Group from GBX 2,460 ($30.50) to GBX 2,900 ($35.96) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 2,675 ($33.17).

Compass Group Stock Up 1.0 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 89.31. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 2,686.22 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 2,502.85. The firm has a market cap of £47.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 3,668.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.81.

Compass Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This is a boost from Compass Group’s previous dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 16th. This represents a yield of 1.17%. Compass Group’s dividend payout ratio is 5,789.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Compass Group

In related news, insider Palmer Brown purchased 9,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,656 ($32.93) per share, for a total transaction of £249,690.56 ($309,597.72). Also, insider Dominic Blakemore sold 119,821 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,692 ($33.38), for a total transaction of £3,225,581.32 ($3,999,480.87). 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Compass Group Company Profile

Compass Group PLC is a world leading food service company, which generated annual revenues of £31.3 billion in the year to 30 September 2023. It serves meals to millions of people in c. 35 countries and employs and engages with c. 550,000 people. The Company specialises in providing food and a range of targeted support services across the core sectors of Business & Industry, Healthcare & Senior Living, Education, Sports & Leisure and Defence, Offshore & Remote, with an established brand portfolio.