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

Legal & General Group Plc (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 235.77 ($3.20) and traded as high as GBX 254.90 ($3.45). Legal & General Group shares last traded at GBX 250.84 ($3.40), with a volume of 34,794,355 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 265 ($3.59) price target on shares of Legal & General Group in a report on Monday, February 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Legal & General Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of GBX 267 ($3.62).

Legal & General Group Price Performance

The company's fifty day moving average is GBX 239.12 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 236.02. The firm has a market cap of £14.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.00, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 155.18.

Legal & General Group (LON:LGEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The financial services provider reported GBX 2.89 ($0.04) EPS for the quarter. Legal & General Group had a net margin of 0.67% and a return on equity of 7.79%. On average, equities research 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 announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of GBX 15.36 ($0.21) per share. This is a boost from Legal & General Group's previous dividend of $6.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 24th. This represents a yield of 6.18%. Legal & General Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 387.68%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider António Simões sold 197,279 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 244 ($3.31), for a total value of £481,360.76 ($652,338.75). Also, insider Tushar Morzaria acquired 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 241 ($3.27) per share, for a total transaction of £48,200 ($65,320.50). Over the last three months, insiders have bought 44,396 shares of company stock valued at $10,781,789. 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.