XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) Shares Up 11.1% – What’s Next?

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) shares were up 11.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 125% from the average daily volume of 1,504,858 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 347 ($4.37).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on XPS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Shore Capital reissued 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 343.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of 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 cap of £795.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last issued 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 announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 7th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a dividend of GBX 3.70 ($0.05) per share. This represents a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 9th. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at XPS Pensions Group

In other news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price 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.