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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares shot up 11.1% on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares were traded during mid-day 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on XPS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Up 11.1 %

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 company has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 331.16.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last posted 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 return on equity of 156.24% and a net margin of 128.13%.

XPS Pensions Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio is 8.03%.

Insider Activity

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were purchased 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.