Serco Group (LON:SRP) Hits New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Serco Group plc's share price hit a new 52-week high at GBX 235.40 ($3.16) during trading, showing significant performance with a trading volume of 791,667 shares.
• Equities research analysts have mixed opinions, with two maintaining a Buy rating, three a Hold rating, and the consensus target price at GBX 247.
• Insider activity includes John Rishton purchasing 43,086 shares at an average price of GBX 225, indicating strong insider confidence in the company's future performance.

Serco Group plc (LON:SRP - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as GBX 235.40 ($3.16) and last traded at GBX 235.40 ($3.16), with a volume of 791667 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 232.40 ($3.12).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Serco Group from GBX 281 to GBX 273 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 29th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 270 price target on shares of Serco Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Serco Group from GBX 210 to GBX 215 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Shore Capital reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Serco Group in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Serco Group from GBX 175 to GBX 230 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 247.

Serco Group Price Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 220.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 194.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.40. The company has a market cap of £2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,685.26, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.38.

Serco Group (LON:SRP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported GBX 9.74 EPS for the quarter. Serco Group had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 13.70%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Serco Group plc will post 17.552759 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John Rishton bought 43,086 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 225 per share, with a total value of £96,943.50. 0.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Serco Group

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