The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Insider John Bates Acquires 35,000 Shares

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE) insider John Bates purchased 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 811 per share, for a total transaction of £283,850.

The Sage Group Stock Performance

Shares of SGE stock opened at GBX 809.60 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 1,023.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 1,083.93. The Sage Group plc has a one year low of GBX 790.60 and a one year high of GBX 1,335. The stock has a market cap of £7.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported GBX 43.20 earnings per share for the quarter. The Sage Group had a net margin of 11.87% and a return on equity of 24.48%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 EPS for the current year.

The Sage Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, November 19th that allows the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on SGE shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced 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 research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Shore Capital Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,500 to GBX 1,300 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Panmure Gordon reissued a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 1,300 price objective on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of The Sage Group to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from GBX 1,100 to GBX 1,135 in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 1,247.

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.