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

XPS Pensions Group plc (LON:XPS) rose 11.1% during trading on Saturday . The company traded as high as GBX 397 ($5.00) and last traded at GBX 385.45 ($4.85). Approximately 3,388,795 shares traded 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 Analyst Weigh In

XPS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Shore Capital restated a “hold” rating on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 435 ($5.48) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 401 ($5.05) price objective on shares of XPS Pensions Group in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, XPS Pensions Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 356.50 ($4.49).

XPS Pensions Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £795.95 million, a P/E ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 343.54 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 331.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.52, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Alan Bannatyne bought 13,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 349 ($4.39) per share, with a total value of £45,485.17 ($57,250.06). 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.