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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares traded up 11.1% 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 traded hands during 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

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

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

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

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid 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 is currently 8.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of XPS Pensions Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was bought 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 corporate 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.