The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Hits New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) shares hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 782.19 and last traded at GBX 788.20, with a volume of 2451196 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 807.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SGE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Shore Capital Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of The Sage Group to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from GBX 1,100 to GBX 1,135 in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,500 to GBX 1,300 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Panmure Gordon reiterated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 1,300 price target on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on The Sage Group from GBX 1,200 to GBX 1,150 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, The Sage Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 1,247.

The Sage Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of £7.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a PEG 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’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 1,012.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 1,075.47.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last issued 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current year.

The Sage Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 19th that permits the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at The Sage Group

In other The Sage Group news, insider Steve Hare sold 127,828 shares of The Sage Group stock in a transaction dated 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 acquired 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 811 per share, with a total value of £283,850. 0.99% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.