Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN) Insider António Simões Sells 47,433 Shares

Legal & General Group Plc (LON:LGEN) insider António Simões sold 47,433 shares of Legal & General Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 262, for a total transaction of £124,274.46.

Legal & General Group Price Performance

Shares of LON:LGEN opened at GBX 261 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of £14.69 billion, a PE ratio of 58.52, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.31. Legal & General Group Plc has a 52 week low of GBX 206.80 and a 52 week high of GBX 266.20. The company’s fifty day moving average is GBX 247.12 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 247.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 155.18.

Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 15th. The financial services provider reported GBX 2.89 earnings per share for the quarter. Legal & General Group had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 7.79%. Research analysts anticipate that Legal & General Group Plc will post 24.2376446 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stores Impacting Legal & General Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Legal & General Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several directors bought shares (Mark Jordy 1,006; Laura Wade‑Gery 957; Ric Lewis 868; John Kingman 628 — total ~3,459 shares) at ~GBX 261–262 on Jan 2, a vote of confidence from insiders that can be supportive for the share price. Insider Buys 1,006 Shares Ric Lewis Purchases 868 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO António Simões sold 47,433 shares at an average of GBX 262 on Dec 31 (gross ~£124k). The transaction coincides with disclosure of vesting under his recruitment share award, which can explain the sale and reduce negative signaling. Insider Sale Details Vesting Disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Company confirmed total voting rights at year‑end 2025 — a routine disclosure that updates the shareholder register but is unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Total Voting Rights
• Negative Sentiment: The net effect of a high‑count CEO sale (even if linked to vesting) alongside only modest director purchases can weigh on sentiment, particularly given Legal & General’s valuation metrics (elevated P/E) and previous modest margins — factors that help explain the weaker trading today.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LGEN. Peel Hunt restated an “add” rating and issued a GBX 255 price target on shares of Legal & General Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on Legal & General Group from GBX 265 to GBX 289 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Legal & General Group from GBX 200 to GBX 210 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of GBX 257.25.

Legal & General Group Company Profile

Legal & General Group Plc provides various insurance products and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates in Legal & General Retirement Institutional (LGRI), Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), Legal & General Capital (LGC), and Retail segments. The LGRI segment offers annuity contracts with guaranteed income for a specified time; and longevity insurance products. The LGIM segment offers index fund management; active fixed income funds and liquidity funds; active equity management; solution and liability driven investment; multi-asset funds; corporate pension scheme solutions; and real assets.