The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,446.67 ($42.71).

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SGE. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.02) to GBX 1,090 ($13.51) and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a GBX 1,090 ($13.51) target price on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.50) to GBX 1,350 ($16.73) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

The Sage Group Stock Down 0.2 %

SGE stock opened at GBX 1,319.50 ($16.35) on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of £13.15 billion, a PE ratio of 5,075.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 1,305.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 1,133.19. The Sage Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 954.20 ($11.82) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,349 ($16.72). The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 37.90 ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter. The Sage Group had a return on equity of 22.31% and a net margin of 11.87%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Sage Group will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 27,844 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,310 ($16.23), for a total transaction of £364,756.40 ($451,990.58). 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About The Sage Group

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.