H&T Group (LON:HAT) Trading 39.7% Higher - Should You Buy?

H&T Group plc (LON:HAT - Get Free Report) shares were up 39.7% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 646 ($8.59) and last traded at GBX 640.02 ($8.51). Approximately 618,828 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 473% from the average daily volume of 107,932 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 458 ($6.09).

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Shore Capital reaffirmed a "house stock" rating on shares of H&T Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of H&T Group from GBX 531 ($7.06) to GBX 559 ($7.43) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th.

H&T Group Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 4.55, a current ratio of 15.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.82. The firm's fifty day moving average price is GBX 408.08 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 372.58. The stock has a market cap of £280.62 million, a PE ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.69.

H&T Group (LON:HAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 18th. The company reported GBX 51.17 ($0.68) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. H&T Group had a return on equity of 12.14% and a net margin of 9.06%. As a group, equities analysts expect that H&T Group plc will post 54.3859649 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&T Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th will be given a GBX 11 ($0.15) dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This is a boost from H&T Group's previous dividend of $7.00. This represents a dividend yield of 2.84%. H&T Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.61%.

About H&T Group

We are the UK's largest pawnbroker and a leading retailer of high quality new and pre-owned jewellery and watches. We provide a range of transparent and accessible financial products tailored for a customer base which has limited access to, or is excluded from, the traditional banking sector. Our vision is to make pawnbroking a more widely accepted and valued financial service by ensuring that borrowing against an asset is simple, inclusive and transparent.