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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s share price shot up 11.1% during trading on Saturday . The stock traded as high as GBX 397 ($4.99) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares changed hands 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).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on XPS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.47) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.04) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment 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.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.48).

XPS Pensions Group Trading Up 11.1 %

The stock 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 quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.31.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In related 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, for a total transaction of £45,485.17 ($57,221.25). Corporate 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.