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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares rose 11.1% on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($4.99) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 125% from the average daily volume of 1,504,858 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 347 ($4.37).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

XPS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.47) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.04) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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 current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The firm’s fifty 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 posted 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 declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders 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 was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 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.