XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 387 ($4.87), with a volume of 3280026 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 347 ($4.37).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

XPS Pensions Group Stock Up 11.1 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 331.24. The company has a market cap of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.27.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last released 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 business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is currently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, for a total transaction of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). Corporate insiders own 5.14% of the company’s stock.

XPS Pensions Group Company Profile

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.