The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 1,247.

SGE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 1,500 to GBX 1,300 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Shore Capital Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,200 to GBX 1,150 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Panmure Gordon reiterated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 1,300 target price on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of The Sage Group to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from GBX 1,100 to GBX 1,135 in a report on Monday, February 2nd.

The Sage Group Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of LON:SGE opened at GBX 807.40 on Friday. The Sage Group has a 52-week low of GBX 790.60 and a 52-week high of GBX 1,335. The company has a market capitalization of £7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 114.00, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 1,018.02 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,079.38.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported GBX 43.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The Sage Group had a return on equity of 24.48% and a net margin of 11.87%. On average, equities analysts predict that The Sage Group will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Sage Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, November 19th that allows the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Steve Hare sold 127,828 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 1,065, for a total value of £1,361,368.20. Also, insider John Bates bought 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 811 per share, for a total transaction of £283,850. 0.99% of the stock is currently owned by 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.