The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 1,343.50 ($16.69) and last traded at GBX 1,341 ($16.65), with a volume of 6505574 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,329 ($16.51).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SGE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a GBX 1,090 ($13.54) target price on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.05) to GBX 1,090 ($13.54) and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.53) to GBX 1,350 ($16.77) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of GBX 3,446.67 ($42.81).

The Sage Group Trading Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market cap of £13.28 billion, a PE ratio of 5,125.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 1,300.53 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 1,121.49.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 37.90 ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The Sage Group had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 22.31%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be issued a GBX 13.50 ($0.17) dividend. This is a boost from The Sage Group’s previous dividend of $6.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.25%. The Sage Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7,692.31%.

Insider Activity at The Sage Group

In other news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 27,844 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,310 ($16.27), for a total value of £364,756.40 ($453,000.99). 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Sage Group Company Profile

The Sage Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions and services for small and medium businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It offers cloud native solutions, such as Sage Intacct, a cloud accounting software product and financial management software; Sage People, a HR and people management solution; Sage 200, a finance and business management solution; Sage X3, a business management solution; Sage Accounting, a solution for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage customer data, accounts, and people; Sage Payroll for small businesses manage their payroll; and Sage HR for small and mid-sized businesses for record management, leave management, staff scheduling, and expenses services.