Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Price technical: Legal & General's shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average, trading last at GBX 262.63 versus the 200‑day MA of GBX 251.46 (50‑day MA GBX 258.43).
• Analyst outlook mixed: Two analysts rate the stock Buy, three Hold and one Sell, with an average rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 261.67—roughly in line with the current share price.
• Insiders have been buying recently (6,884 shares acquired in the last 90 days) and the board approved a share repurchase program (the notice lists an authorization of 0 shares), signals that management may view the stock as undervalued despite unclear repurchase details.

Legal & General Group Plc (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report)'s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 251.46 and traded as high as GBX 266.37. Legal & General Group shares last traded at GBX 262.63, with a volume of 66,584,406 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LGEN shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Legal & General Group from GBX 205 to GBX 220 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Berenberg Bank restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 308 target price on shares of Legal & General Group in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Legal & General Group from GBX 243 to GBX 249 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Legal & General Group from GBX 249 to GBX 263 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 261.67.

Legal & General Group Stock Performance

The business's 50 day moving average is GBX 258.43 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 251.46. The stock has a market cap of £14.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.81.

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

Legal & General Group declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, March 11th that permits the company to repurchase 0 shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Legal & General Group

In other news, insider John Kingman acquired 620 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 265 per share, with a total value of £1,643. Also, insider Laura Wade-Gery acquired 944 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 265 per share, with a total value of £2,501.60. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 6,884 shares of company stock worth $1,831,202. 0.59% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Legal & General Group

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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