Compass Group (LON:CPG) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Compass Group PLC (LON:CPG)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 2,853 ($35.90) and last traded at GBX 2,829 ($35.60), with a volume of 12509826 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,843 ($35.77).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CPG. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 2,960 ($37.25) price objective on shares of Compass Group in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Compass Group from GBX 2,500 ($31.46) to GBX 2,600 ($32.72) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 2,690 ($33.85).

Compass Group Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 2,709.04 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 2,557.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 86.56, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market capitalization of £47.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.81.

Compass Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 16th. This is a positive change from Compass Group’s previous dividend of $0.21. Compass Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.33%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Dominic Blakemore sold 119,821 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,692 ($33.87), for a total transaction of £3,225,581.32 ($4,058,866.64). Also, insider Palmer Brown acquired 9,401 shares of Compass Group stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 2,656 ($33.42) per share, with a total value of £249,690.56 ($314,194.74). Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

About Compass Group

Compass Group PLC is a world leading food service company, which generated annual revenues of £31.3 billion in the year to 30 September 2023. It serves meals to millions of people in c. 35 countries and employs and engages with c. 550,000 people. The Company specialises in providing food and a range of targeted support services across the core sectors of Business & Industry, Healthcare & Senior Living, Education, Sports & Leisure and Defence, Offshore & Remote, with an established brand portfolio.