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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares rose 11.1% during mid-day trading on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($4.99) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares were traded 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).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on XPS shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.04) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.47) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.48).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52. The company has a market cap of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 343.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 331.31.

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 net margin of 128.13% and a return on equity of 156.24%.

XPS Pensions Group Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,221.25). 5.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.