Close Brothers Group (LON:CBG) Trading Up 20.7% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Close Brothers Group plc (LON:CBG) rose 20.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 301.19 ($3.71) and last traded at GBX 295.43 ($3.64). Approximately 37,578,418 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 520% from the average daily volume of 6,057,339 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 244.80 ($3.02).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CBG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Shore Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Close Brothers Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 610 ($7.52) price objective on shares of Close Brothers Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of GBX 556.60 ($6.86).

Close Brothers Group Stock Up 18.7 %

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 223.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 364.62. The firm has a market capitalization of £437.32 million, a PE ratio of 484.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.82.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Mike Morgan sold 10,885 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 241 ($2.97), for a total value of £26,232.85 ($32,346.30). 2.91% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Close Brothers Group

Close Brothers Group plc, a merchant banking company, engages in the provision of financial services to small businesses and individuals in the United Kingdom. It operates through five segments: Commercial, Retail, Property, Asset Management, and Securities. The company offers banking services comprising of debt factoring, invoice discounting, asset-based lending; financing for SMEs, residential housing, transport, industrial equipment, renewable energy, motorcycle, used car, and commercial vehicle financing; insurance, refurbishment, and bridging financing, savings products for individuals and corporates, hire purchase, lease, and loan related services.