XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading 11.1% Higher – What’s Next?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares shot up 11.1% during mid-day trading on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($4.99) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares traded hands 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 Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on XPS. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.04) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.47) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, XPS Pensions Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.48).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 331.31.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last announced its earnings results 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 business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were paid 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 presently 8.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the 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 ($57,221.25). Corporate insiders own 5.14% of the company’s stock.

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.