XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading 11.1% Higher – Should You Buy?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS)’s stock price was up 11.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares traded hands during mid-day 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

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on XPS shares. Shore Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) price objective 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 given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, XPS Pensions Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 343.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 331.24. The firm has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) earnings per share 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 company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were given 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 (DPR) is currently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, for a total transaction of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). 5.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About XPS Pensions Group

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.