Kier Group (LON:KIE) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Crossover test: Kier briefly crossed above its 200‑day moving average (200‑day MA GBX 219.33), trading as high as GBX 221.50 intraday before last trading at GBX 205.50 on volume of 16,570,473 shares.
• Analyst sentiment: Three analysts give a consensus "Buy" rating with an average price target of GBX 253.33, and both Berenberg and Peel Hunt have reiterated Buy with GBX 260 targets.
• Fundamentals and corporate action: Market cap is £887.66m with a PE of 16.98, but the company has a very high debt‑to‑equity ratio (230.22) and weak liquidity (current ratio 0.86, quick ratio 0.69), while the board has approved a share repurchase program for open‑market purchases.

Kier Group plc (LON:KIE - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 219.33 and traded as high as GBX 221.50. Kier Group shares last traded at GBX 205.50, with a volume of 16,570,473 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KIE shares. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a GBX 260 price objective on shares of Kier Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Peel Hunt restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 260 price target on shares of Kier Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of GBX 253.33.

Kier Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of £887.66 million, a PE ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 227.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 219.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 230.22, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Kier Group (LON:KIE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported GBX 9.50 EPS for the quarter. Kier Group had a return on equity of 11.69% and a net margin of 1.47%. Equities research analysts expect that Kier Group plc will post 20.4913295 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kier Group declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, March 3rd that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Kier Group Company Profile

Kier Group is a leading infrastructure services, construction and property group based in the UK. Our purpose is to sustainably deliver infrastructure which is vital to the UK with a vision is to be the UK's leading infrastructure services and construction company. We operate through three segments; Infrastructure Services, Construction and Property. Infrastructure Services comprises our Transportation and Natural Resources, Nuclear and Networks business. Transportation: builds and maintains roads for National Highways and a number of district and county councils as well as our rail, airports' infrastructure and ports' businesses. Natural Resources, Nuclear and Networks: delivers long-term contracts providing repairs, maintains and support capital projects to the water, energy, and telecommunications sectors. Construction — comprises of our Regional Building, Strategic Projects, Kier Places (Housing Maintenance and Facilities Management), and International businesses.

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