XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading 11% Higher – What’s Next?

Shares of XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) rose 11% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385 ($4.85). Approximately 19,294,086 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 864% from the average daily volume of 2,001,899 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 347 ($4.37).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on XPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital restated 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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Trading Up 11.1 %

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

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) EPS 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 declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th were issued 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 is currently 8.03%.

Insider Activity at XPS Pensions Group

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

XPS Pensions Group Company Profile

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.