Hays (LON:HAS) Trading Up 3.6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Hays shares rose 3.6% in mid-day trading, reaching as high as GBX 53 before last trading at GBX 49.71. Trading volume was 6.43 million shares, below the stock’s average daily volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 57.20. Recent notes ranged from UBS’s neutral stance to RBC’s outperform rating and Citigroup’s buy rating.
• The company has also seen insider buying, including sizable purchases by Mark Dearnley and Joe Hurd. Hays previously announced a stock buyback authorization, which can signal management believes the shares are undervalued.

Hays plc (LON:HAS - Get Free Report) traded up 3.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 53 and last traded at GBX 49.71. 6,433,742 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 13,208,803 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HAS. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a GBX 33 price target on shares of Hays in a report on Friday, July 3rd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Hays from GBX 90 to GBX 75 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "underperform" rating and issued a GBX 28 target price on shares of Hays in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a GBX 60 price target on shares of Hays in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hays has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 57.20.

Hays Trading Up 3.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of £780.47 million, a PE ratio of -75.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 65.55, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The company has a fifty day moving average of GBX 34.52 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 38.82.

Hays announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Monday, June 1st that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hays news, insider Mark Dearnley acquired 485,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 30 per share, with a total value of £145,650. Also, insider Joe Hurd bought 5,672 shares of Hays stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 35 per share, with a total value of £1,985.20. Insiders purchased 491,224 shares of company stock worth $14,765,184 in the last 90 days. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hays Company Profile

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