Direct Line Insurance Group plc (LON:DLG) Insider Neil Manser Buys 80 Shares

Direct Line Insurance Group plc (LON:DLG) insider Neil Manser purchased 80 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 186 ($2.34) per share, for a total transaction of £148.80 ($186.91).

Neil Manser also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 27th, Neil Manser purchased 78 shares of Direct Line Insurance Group stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 192 ($2.41) per share, for a total transaction of £149.76 ($188.12).
• On Tuesday, February 27th, Neil Manser purchased 93 shares of Direct Line Insurance Group stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 162 ($2.03) per share, for a total transaction of £150.66 ($189.25).

Direct Line Insurance Group Price Performance

Shares of LON:DLG traded down GBX 1.70 ($0.02) during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting GBX 185.80 ($2.33). The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,195,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,595,696. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 195.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 181.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.89, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 8.31. The company has a market cap of £2.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,173.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.44. Direct Line Insurance Group plc has a 12-month low of GBX 132.12 ($1.66) and a 12-month high of GBX 240.10 ($3.02).

Direct Line Insurance Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a GBX 4 ($0.05) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. Direct Line Insurance Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5,000.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Direct Line Insurance Group from GBX 195 ($2.45) to GBX 220 ($2.76) and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays raised shares of Direct Line Insurance Group to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from GBX 188 ($2.36) to GBX 219 ($2.75) in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 212.50 ($2.67).

About Direct Line Insurance Group

Direct Line Insurance Group plc engages in the provision of general insurance products and services in the United Kingdom. The company operates through Motor, Home, Rescue and Other Personal Lines, and Commercial segments. It offers motor, home, van, landlord, rescue, pet, tradesperson, business, creditor and select, and travel insurance products, as well as commercial insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises.