Hays (LON:HAS) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Hays shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching GBX 76.45 before closing at GBX 74.10, while trading volume exceeded 9.2 million shares.
• Analyst views remain mixed: RBC upgraded Hays to “outperform” with an GBX 85 target, while UBS and Jefferies maintained neutral and underperform ratings. The consensus rating is “Hold,” with an average price target of GBX 62.20.
• Hays reported a quarterly loss of GBX 3.64 per share, alongside negative net margin and return on equity, although an insider purchased shares at GBX 35 and insiders own 0.81% of the company.

Hays plc (LON:HAS - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 42.45 and traded as high as GBX 76.45. Hays shares last traded at GBX 74.10, with a volume of 9,246,117 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on HAS shares. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a GBX 33 price objective on shares of Hays in a report on Friday, July 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a GBX 28 target price on shares of Hays in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Hays from GBX 60 to GBX 85 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of GBX 62.20.

Hays Stock Down 3.6%

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 55.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 42.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 60.68, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a market cap of £1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -112.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.77.

Hays (LON:HAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported GBX (3.64) EPS for the quarter. Hays had a negative net margin of 0.91% and a negative return on equity of 13.31%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hays plc will post 4.0966184 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hays announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, June 1st that authorizes the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Joe Hurd bought 5,672 shares of Hays stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 35 per share, with a total value of £1,985.20. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

About Hays

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