QinetiQ Group (LON:QQ) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• QinetiQ Group shares rose above their 200-day moving average during Thursday trading, reaching as high as GBX 488.40 before last trading at GBX 467.60.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally positive, with three Buy ratings and two Hold ratings; the average MarketBeat target price is GBX 1,921.75, though some recent targets were much lower.
• The company has active capital-return and insider activity, including a share repurchase program and a recent insider sale by Steve Wadey of 118,534 shares at GBX 429 each.

QinetiQ Group plc (LON:QQ - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 473.53 and traded as high as GBX 488.40. QinetiQ Group shares last traded at GBX 467.60, with a volume of 1,422,553 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

QQ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 600 target price on shares of QinetiQ Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 487 target price on shares of QinetiQ Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of QinetiQ Group from GBX 5,690 to GBX 6,050 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 1,921.75.

QinetiQ Group Stock Down 1.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.20, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 450.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 473.53. The firm has a market cap of £2.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.33.

QinetiQ Group (LON:QQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported GBX 31.50 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of GBX 192.26 billion for the quarter. QinetiQ Group had a net margin of 5.59% and a return on equity of 19.34%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that QinetiQ Group plc will post 26.1405108 EPS for the current year.

QinetiQ Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, March 25th that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at QinetiQ Group

In other news, insider Steve Wadey sold 118,534 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 429, for a total value of £508,510.86. Insiders own 12.14% of the company's stock.

About QinetiQ Group

QinetiQ Group plc operates as a science and engineering company in the defense, security, and infrastructure markets in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and internationally. The company operates through EMEA Services and Global Solutions segments. It offers advanced materials and manufacturing products; artificial intelligence, analytics, and advanced computing technologies; cyber and electromagnetic technologies; human protection and performance systems; novel systems, and weapons and effects; platform, and system design and assessment products; power sources, and energy storage and distribution products; robotics and autonomy services; secure communications and navigation systems; and sensing, processing, and data fusion systems.

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