Hays (LON:HAS) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Hays plc (LON:HASGet Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 67.45 and last traded at GBX 67.45, with a volume of 2197258 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 66.50.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on HAS shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Hays from GBX 90 to GBX 75 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 33 price objective on shares of Hays in a research report on Friday, July 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a GBX 60 target price on shares of Hays in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a GBX 28 target price on shares of Hays in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 57.20.

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Hays Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 65.55. The company has a market capitalization of £1.05 billion, a PE ratio of -100.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is GBX 44.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 39.74.

Hays announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Monday, June 1st that allows the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Mark Dearnley purchased 485,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 30 per share, for a total transaction of £145,650. Also, insider Joe Hurd bought 5,672 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 35 per share, with a total value of £1,985.20. 0.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Hays

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