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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) was up 11.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares were traded 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).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 401 ($5.05) price target on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 435 ($5.48) price target 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a PE ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 343.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 331.24.

XPS Pensions Group (LON:XPS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 9.40 ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th were given a GBX 3.70 ($0.05) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.03%. XPS Pensions Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other XPS Pensions Group news, insider Alan Bannatyne purchased 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was bought 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.

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.