Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Legal & General Group Plc (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 231.12 ($3.07) and traded as high as GBX 239.80 ($3.19). Legal & General Group shares last traded at GBX 238.40 ($3.17), with a volume of 19,407,727 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 265 ($3.52) target price on shares of Legal & General Group in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 267 ($3.55).

Legal & General Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 155.18, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 239.81 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 231.68. The stock has a market capitalization of £14.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.31.

Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The financial services provider reported GBX 2.89 ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter. Legal & General Group had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 7.79%. Equities analysts predict that Legal & General Group Plc will post 24.2376446 EPS for the current year.

Legal & General Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 24th will be issued a GBX 15.36 ($0.20) dividend. This represents a yield of 6.18%. This is a positive change from Legal & General Group's previous dividend of $6.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 24th. Legal & General Group's dividend payout ratio is 387.68%.

Legal & General Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Legal & General Group

In related news, insider António Simões sold 197,279 shares of Legal & General Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 244 ($3.24), for a total value of £481,360.76 ($640,022.28). Also, insider Clare Bousfield bought 20,369 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 244 ($3.24) per share, for a total transaction of £49,700.36 ($66,082.12). Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 43,188 shares of company stock valued at $10,467,891. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.