Compass Group (LON:CPG) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Compass Group PLC (LON:CPG)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,447.14 ($29.88) and traded as high as GBX 2,734 ($33.38). Compass Group shares last traded at GBX 2,732 ($33.36), with a volume of 3,965,923 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CPG shares. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on Compass Group from GBX 2,460 ($30.04) to GBX 2,900 ($35.41) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Compass Group from GBX 2,500 ($30.53) to GBX 2,600 ($31.75) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Compass Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 2,675 ($32.66).

Compass Group Trading Down 1.3 %

The stock has a market cap of £45.85 billion, a PE ratio of 3,548.68, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 89.31, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 2,650.18 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 2,450.63.

Compass Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.17%. This is an increase from Compass Group’s previous dividend of $0.21. Compass Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5,789.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Compass Group news, insider Dominic Blakemore sold 119,821 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,692 ($32.87), for a total transaction of £3,225,581.32 ($3,938,438.73). Also, insider Palmer Brown bought 9,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 2,656 ($32.43) per share, for a total transaction of £249,690.56 ($304,872.48). 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Compass Group

Compass Group PLC is a world leading food service company, which generated annual revenues of £31.3 billion in the year to 30 September 2023. It serves meals to millions of people in c. 35 countries and employs and engages with c. 550,000 people. The Company specialises in providing food and a range of targeted support services across the core sectors of Business & Industry, Healthcare & Senior Living, Education, Sports & Leisure and Defence, Offshore & Remote, with an established brand portfolio.