The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 3,446.67 ($43.02).

A number of brokerages have issued reports on SGE. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.11) to GBX 1,090 ($13.60) and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “sell” rating and set a GBX 1,090 ($13.60) price target on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.60) to GBX 1,350 ($16.85) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 70,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,270 ($15.85), for a total transaction of £889,000 ($1,109,585.62). Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

The Sage Group Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of SGE opened at GBX 1,340.50 ($16.73) on Wednesday. The Sage Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 954.20 ($11.91) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,348 ($16.82). The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average is GBX 1,303.23 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 1,125.97. The stock has a market capitalization of £13.36 billion, a PE ratio of 5,155.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 37.90 ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter. The Sage Group had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 22.31%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Sage Group will post 42.1496095 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 9th will be given a dividend of GBX 13.50 ($0.17) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.25%. This is an increase from The Sage Group’s previous dividend of $6.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. The Sage Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7,692.31%.

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.