FirstGroup (LON:FGP) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• FirstGroup plc's stock price recently surpassed its 200-day moving average, with the last traded price at GBX 224.40 ($3.01) compared to the moving average of GBX 190.60 ($2.56).
• Berenberg Bank upgraded their price target for FirstGroup from GBX 215 to GBX 240 and assigned a "buy" rating, contributing to a current consensus "buy" rating for the stock.
• Insiders sold nearly 2 million shares worth over £3.6 million in the past three months, indicating significant transaction activity among company executives.

Shares of FirstGroup plc (LON:FGP - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 190.60 ($2.57) and traded as high as GBX 226.80 ($3.06). FirstGroup shares last traded at GBX 224.40 ($3.03), with a volume of 667,286 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of FirstGroup from GBX 215 to GBX 240 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of GBX 240.

FirstGroup Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of £1.33 billion, a PE ratio of -105.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 257.49. The stock's 50 day moving average price is GBX 225 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 192.34.

FirstGroup (LON:FGP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 10th. The transport operator reported GBX 19.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. FirstGroup had a negative net margin of 0.34% and a negative return on equity of 2.54%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that FirstGroup plc will post 17.3782772 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ryan Mangold sold 472,462 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 226, for a total value of £1,067,764.12. Also, insider Graham Sutherland sold 458,035 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 226, for a total transaction of £1,035,159.10. Insiders have sold 1,930,497 shares of company stock valued at $434,342,322 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.64% of the company's stock.

About FirstGroup

FirstGroup plc provides public transport services in the United Kingdom. The company operates through First Bus and First Rail segments. The First Bus segment offers local bus services with a fleet of approximately 4,900 buses in the United Kingdom. The First Rail segment operates a passenger rail network that provides long-distance, commuter, regional, and sleeper services through a portfolio of Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express, and Avanti West Coast franchises; and hull trains and Lumos.