Hays (LON:HAS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Hays plc (LON:HAS)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 81.37 ($1.06) and last traded at GBX 82.25 ($1.07), with a volume of 982136 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 82.35 ($1.08).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HAS. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a GBX 125 ($1.63) price target on shares of Hays in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 115 ($1.50) price target on shares of Hays in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Hays Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 1,905.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 43.81, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 91.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 94.90.

Hays Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 17th will be issued a GBX 2.05 ($0.03) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 17th. This represents a yield of 2.16%. This is an increase from Hays’s previous dividend of $0.95.

Insider Activity at Hays

In other Hays news, insider James Hilton sold 53,038 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 88 ($1.15), for a total value of £46,673.44 ($60,947.30). In related news, insider Joe Hurd acquired 2,208 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 90 ($1.18) per share, with a total value of £1,987.20 ($2,594.93). Also, insider James Hilton sold 53,038 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 88 ($1.15), for a total value of £46,673.44 ($60,947.30). Insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Hays Company Profile

Hays plc engages in the provision of recruitment services in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company provides qualified, professional, and skilled recruitment in permanent, temporary, and contractor formats to public and private sectors. It offers its recruitment services in the specialisms, such as accountancy and finance, banking and capital markets, construction and property, contact centers, education, energy, oil and gas, engineering and manufacturing, executive, financial services, health and social care, human resources, legal, life sciences, office support, procurement, resources and mining, retail, sales and marketing, sustainability, technology, and telecoms.