Auction Technology Group (LON:ATG) Trading 23.6% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Auction Technology Group plc (LON:ATG) rose 23.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 339 and last traded at GBX 335. Approximately 8,143,176 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 43% from the average daily volume of 5,708,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 270.95.

Key Stores Impacting Auction Technology Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Auction Technology Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The board has rejected non-binding approaches from FitzWalter but confirmed it received approaches — news that typically lifts shares because it signals potential M&A interest and the possibility of a future, improved offer or competitive process. Auction Technology Group Rejects Takeover Approaches From FitzWalter LONDON BRIEFING: Auction Technology rejects 11 FitzWalter buyout bids
• Neutral Sentiment: Key context: the company says there’s been interest but no firm offer or negotiations. Financials and valuation remain mixed (negative trailing P/E, modest market cap), and volumes spiked — monitor for follow-up filings or a formal approach that would more clearly move the share price.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ATG has been the topic of several research reports. Berenberg Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Auction Technology Group from GBX 560 to GBX 460 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 27th. Peel Hunt lowered their target price on shares of Auction Technology Group from GBX 730 to GBX 460 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Auction Technology Group from GBX 415 to GBX 315 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Auction Technology Group from GBX 690 to GBX 695 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Auction Technology Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 549.

Auction Technology Group Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 288.09 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 345.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.16, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of £403.87 million, a P/E ratio of -2.83 and a beta of 1.29.

About Auction Technology Group

Auction Technology Group plc (“ATG”) is the operator of the world’s leading marketplaces and auction services for curated online auctions, seamlessly connecting bidders from around the world to over 3,800 trusted auction houses across two major sectors: Industrial & Commercial (“I&C”) and Art & Antiques (“A&A”).

The Group powers eight online marketplaces and listing sites using its proprietary auction platform technology, hosting in excess of 70,000 live and timed auctions each year. ATG has been supporting the auction industry since 1971 and the Group has offices in the UK, US and Germany.