The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) Insider Sells £889,000 in Stock

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) insider Jonathan Howell sold 70,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,270 ($15.99), for a total value of £889,000 ($1,119,224.47).

The Sage Group Price Performance

LON:SGE opened at GBX 1,279.50 ($16.11) on Friday. The Sage Group plc has a 12 month low of GBX 954.20 ($12.01) and a 12 month high of GBX 1,320 ($16.62). The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 1,023.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 1,051.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72. The firm has a market cap of £12.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 4,907.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on SGE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.21) to GBX 1,090 ($13.72) and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on The Sage Group from GBX 1,300 ($16.37) to GBX 1,250 ($15.74) and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on The Sage Group from £135 ($169.96) to £145 ($182.55) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 3,908 ($49.20).

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.