The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 1,349 ($16.86) and last traded at GBX 1,340.50 ($16.76), with a volume of 2220616 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,329 ($16.61).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SGE. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.63) to GBX 1,350 ($16.88) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “sell” rating and issued a GBX 1,090 ($13.63) price objective on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.13) to GBX 1,090 ($13.63) and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The Sage Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 3,446.67 ($43.09).

The Sage Group Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 1,304.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 1,127.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of £13.30 billion, a PE ratio of 5,132.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 37.90 ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter. The Sage Group had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 22.31%. On average, research analysts expect that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 earnings per share for the current year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of GBX 13.50 ($0.17) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is a positive change from The Sage Group’s previous dividend of $6.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. The Sage Group’s payout ratio is presently 7,692.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Sage Group news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,270 ($15.88), for a total value of £889,000 ($1,111,388.92). 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

The Sage Group Company Profile

The Sage Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides technology solutions and services for small and medium businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and internationally. It offers cloud native solutions, such as Sage Intacct, a cloud accounting software product and financial management software; Sage People, a HR and people management solution; Sage 200, a finance and business management solution; Sage X3, a business management solution; Sage Accounting, a solution for small businesses, accountants, and bookkeepers to manage customer data, accounts, and people; Sage Payroll for small businesses manage their payroll; and Sage HR for small and mid-sized businesses for record management, leave management, staff scheduling, and expenses services.