AJ Bell (LON:AJB) Shares Down 0.7%

AJ Bell plc (LON:AJB) fell 0.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 292.50 ($3.64) and last traded at GBX 295 ($3.67). 474,320 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 580,852 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 297 ($3.70).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AJB. Berenberg Bank restated a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 370 ($4.61) price target on shares of AJ Bell in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Shore Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of AJ Bell in a research report on Thursday.

AJ Bell Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.47, a quick ratio of 7.16 and a current ratio of 3.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 305.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 293.34. The firm has a market capitalization of £1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,764.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 0.90.

AJ Bell Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 11th were given a dividend of GBX 7.25 ($0.09) per share. This is a positive change from AJ Bell’s previous dividend of $3.50. This represents a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 11th. AJ Bell’s payout ratio is 6,470.59%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Peter Birch sold 17,000 shares of AJ Bell stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 327 ($4.07), for a total transaction of £55,590 ($69,202.04). In other AJ Bell news, insider Simon Turner sold 27,267 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 308 ($3.83), for a total value of £83,982.36 ($104,546.69). Also, insider Peter Birch sold 17,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 327 ($4.07), for a total transaction of £55,590 ($69,202.04). 33.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AJ Bell Company Profile

AJ Bell plc, through its subsidiaries, operates investment platforms in the United Kingdom. The company offers AJ Bell Investcentre, which offers advisers and clients service, easy-to-use functionality, and a comprehensive investment range at competitive prices; and AJ Bell, an investment platform. It also provides Touch by AJ Bell, an investment platform which help advisers to streamline their businesses with investment solutions delivered and managed digitally on their clients' smartphones; and Dodl by AJ Bell, an investment app.