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

Shares of The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 1,247.

SGE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price 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 note on Wednesday, January 28th. Panmure Gordon restated a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 1,300 price target on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on 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. Canaccord Genuity Group raised The Sage Group to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from GBX 1,100 to GBX 1,135 in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on The Sage Group from GBX 1,320 to GBX 1,350 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Derek Harding purchased 10,000 shares of The Sage Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 864 per share, with a total value of £86,400. Also, insider Jonathan Howell sold 88,727 shares of the 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 £944,942.55. Insiders own 0.99% of the company’s stock.

The Sage Group Price Performance

Shares of The Sage Group stock opened at GBX 807.40 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is GBX 1,018.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 1,079.38. The Sage Group has a 12-month low of GBX 790.60 and a 12-month high of GBX 1,335. The firm has a market cap 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 quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 114.00.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported GBX 43.20 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 expect that The Sage Group will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current year.

The Sage Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 19th that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

The Sage Group Company Profile

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.