XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Trading Up 11.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) traded up 11.1% on Saturday . The stock traded as high as GBX 397 ($4.99) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). 3,388,795 shares were traded during 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

Several brokerages have commented on XPS. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.04) target price on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.47) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.48).

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 fifty day simple moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 331.31. The firm 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) 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 declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. This represents a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s payout ratio is 8.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne acquired 13,033 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,221.25). Company 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.