XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading Up 11.1% – Still a Buy?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s share price traded up 11.1% during 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 changed 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).

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 331.31. 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 firm has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a price-to-earnings 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) earnings per share (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 issued a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the company’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). 5.14% of the stock is owned by 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.