The Sage Group (LON:SGE) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

The Sage Group plc (LON:SGE - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 1,118.26 ($13.92) and traded as high as GBX 1,339.50 ($16.68). The Sage Group shares last traded at GBX 1,335.19 ($16.62), with a volume of 1,751,927 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SGE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a GBX 1,090 ($13.57) price objective on shares of The Sage Group in a research note on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on The Sage Group from GBX 970 ($12.08) to GBX 1,090 ($13.57) and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of The Sage Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of The Sage Group from GBX 1,170 ($14.57) to GBX 1,350 ($16.81) and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Shore Capital reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of The Sage Group in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 3,446.67 ($42.91).

The Sage Group Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 115.72, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of £13.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 5,114.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 1,295.51 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 1,120.02.

The Sage Group (LON:SGE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 22.31% and a net margin of 11.87%. On average, research analysts forecast that The Sage Group plc will post 42.1496095 earnings per share for the current year.

The Sage Group Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jonathan Howell sold 27,844 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 1,310 ($16.31), for a total value of £364,756.40 ($454,128.98). Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

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.