Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN) Insider Andrew Kail Acquires 82 Shares

Key Points

• Insider buying continued: Legal & General insider Andrew Kail bought 82 shares on June 1 at GBX 268 each, following a smaller purchase of 87 shares in May. This adds to a pattern of recent insider activity around the stock.
• The stock fell on the day: Legal & General shares were down 1.8% to GBX 266.50, trading below the prior close amid volume that was lighter than average. The company still sits near its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Sentiment remains mixed: Analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with an average target price of GBX 250.71, while the company is also continuing its share buyback program, which can support earnings per share.

Legal & General Group Plc (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report) insider Andrew Kail acquired 82 shares of Legal & General Group stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 268 per share, with a total value of £219.76.

Andrew Kail also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, May 1st, Andrew Kail acquired 87 shares of Legal & General Group stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 254 per share, with a total value of £220.98.
• On Monday, April 20th, Andrew Kail sold 204,858 shares of Legal & General Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 271, for a total transaction of £555,165.18.
• On Tuesday, April 7th, Andrew Kail sold 85,011 shares of Legal & General Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 255, for a total transaction of £216,778.05.

Legal & General Group Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Legal & General Group stock traded down GBX 4.90 during trading on Tuesday, reaching GBX 266.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 18,173,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 39,809,664. The business's 50-day moving average price is GBX 257.08 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 257.12. The firm has a market cap of £14.86 billion, a PE ratio of 27.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.80. Legal & General Group Plc has a 52 week low of GBX 217.20 and a 52 week high of GBX 285.65.

Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The financial services provider reported GBX 831 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Legal & General Group had a net margin of 0.91% and a return on equity of 15.89%. Equities analysts predict that Legal & General Group Plc will post 24.2376446 earnings per share for the current year.

Legal & General Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, March 11th that allows the company to repurchase 0 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Legal & General Group to an "underperform" rating and set a GBX 185 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 308 price target on shares of Legal & General Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Legal & General Group from GBX 205 to GBX 220 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Legal & General Group from GBX 243 to GBX 249 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of GBX 250.71.

Legal & General Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Legal & General Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Chief Risk Officer Chris Knight and several senior executives disclosed share purchases under employee and share-save plans, signaling internal confidence in Legal & General Group Plc LON: LGEN and its outlook. Legal & General Discloses Share Option Exercise by Chief Risk Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Non-executive director Mark Jordy bought 980 shares at GBX 268, adding to recent insider buying and reinforcing the view that management sees value in LGEN. Legal & General Group LON: LGEN Insider Purchases £2,626.40 in Stock
• Positive Sentiment: The company confirmed ongoing buybacks, including the cancellation of about 5.5 million shares, which can be supportive for earnings per share and signals capital return discipline. Legal & General Cancels 5.5m Shares in Ongoing Buyback Drive
• Neutral Sentiment: Legal & General added new shares from a sharesave scheme and updated its share capital/voting rights after the buyback, which is routine corporate housekeeping rather than a major new catalyst. Legal & General Adds Sharesave Scheme Stock to London Listing Legal & General Updates Share Capital and Voting Rights After Buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around the stock’s 8.1% dividend yield and whether investors are missing the bigger story may be keeping income-focused investors engaged, but it does not appear to be a direct price catalyst. At 8.1%, are investors missing the bigger story behind Legal & General shares?
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate dividend-day reminder highlighted the upcoming payout, which may support the stock’s income appeal but is largely expected. Own Legal & General shares? It’s dividend payday on Thursday!

Legal & General Group Company Profile

Legal & General Group Plc provides various insurance products and services in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates in Legal & General Retirement Institutional (LGRI), Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), Legal & General Capital (LGC), and Retail segments. The LGRI segment offers annuity contracts with guaranteed income for a specified time; and longevity insurance products. The LGIM segment offers index fund management; active fixed income funds and liquidity funds; active equity management; solution and liability driven investment; multi-asset funds; corporate pension scheme solutions; and real assets.

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