Hays (LON:HAS) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Hays shares crossed above their 200-day moving average, reaching GBX 65.10 before closing at GBX 63.80, well above the GBX 44.15 long-term average.
• Analyst views remain mixed: RBC and Deutsche Bank raised targets to GBX 85 and GBX 95 with positive ratings, while UBS and Jefferies maintained neutral and underperform ratings. The consensus rating is “Hold” with a GBX 63.20 target price.
• Despite the technical rebound, Hays reported negative quarterly EPS, a negative net margin and negative return on equity; insider James Hilton also sold 63,122 shares at GBX 67.

Shares of Hays plc (LON:HAS - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 44.15 and traded as high as GBX 65.10. Hays shares last traded at GBX 63.80, with a volume of 3,491,791 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Hays from GBX 60 to GBX 85 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Hays from GBX 60 to GBX 95 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a GBX 33 price target on shares of Hays in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a GBX 28 price target on shares of Hays in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 63.20.

Hays Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.77. The company's fifty day simple moving average is GBX 63.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 44.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 60.68, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Hays (LON:HAS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported GBX (3.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Hays had a negative net margin of 0.91% and a negative return on equity of 13.31%. Equities research analysts predict 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 share buyback program on Monday, June 1st that allows the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hays

In related news, insider James Hilton sold 63,122 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 67, for a total transaction of £42,291.74. 0.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Hays

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