Insider Buying: The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Insider Acquires £86,400 in Stock

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) 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 cost of GBX 864 per share, for a total transaction of £86,400.

The Sage Group Price Performance

Shares of SGE stock opened at GBX 811.60 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of £7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is GBX 1,028.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 1,085.91. The Sage Group plc has a one year low of GBX 808.20 and a one year high of GBX 1,335. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 114.00, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 anticipate that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current year.

The Sage Group declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 19th that permits the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on SGE shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,320 to GBX 1,350 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised shares of The Sage Group to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from GBX 1,100 to GBX 1,135 in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 1,200 to GBX 1,150 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Panmure Gordon reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 1,300 price target on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Shore Capital Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, The Sage Group has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 1,247.

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.