Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for Paragon Banking Group (LON:PAG) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies cut its price target on Paragon from GBX 1,060 to GBX 1,000 but kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 33% upside from the previous close.
• Other brokers (Shore Capital, UBS, RBC) also hold buy/outperform views, leaving an average analyst target of GBX 1,025.20.
• Insiders have been buying shares recently—Zoe Howorth bought 1,869 at GBX 798 and Graeme Yorston 500 at GBX 787—bringing insider purchases to 2,751 shares in 90 days and leaving insiders with 2.09% ownership while the stock trades near GBX 750.

Paragon Banking Group (LON:PAG - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from GBX 1,060 to GBX 1,000 in a report issued on Wednesday,London Stock Exchange reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 33.33% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on PAG. Shore Capital Group increased their price objective on Paragon Banking Group from GBX 1,040 to GBX 1,055 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 1,020 target price on shares of Paragon Banking Group in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a GBX 1,050 price target on shares of Paragon Banking Group in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of GBX 1,025.20.

Paragon Banking Group Trading Up 2.9%

PAG stock opened at GBX 750 on Wednesday. Paragon Banking Group has a 1-year low of GBX 695.50 and a 1-year high of GBX 981. The company has a current ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 120.17. The business's 50 day moving average is GBX 776.89 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 824.49. The firm has a market cap of £1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.21.

Insider Activity at Paragon Banking Group

In related news, insider Zoe Howorth purchased 1,869 shares of Paragon Banking Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 798 per share, for a total transaction of £14,914.62. Also, insider Graeme Yorston acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 787 per share, for a total transaction of £3,935. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 2,751 shares of company stock valued at $2,184,450. 2.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Paragon Banking Group

Paragon is a specialist banking group. It offers a range of savings accounts and provide finance for landlords and small and medium-sized businesses (‘SMEs') and residential property developers in the UK. Founded in 1985 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a FTSE-250 company. Headquartered in Solihull, it employs more than 1,400 people. Its operations are organised into two lending divisions and lending is funded largely by retail deposits.

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