Halma (LON:HLMA) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Halma plc (LON:HLMA) shares hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 2,977 ($37.04) and last traded at GBX 2,968 ($36.93), with a volume of 12646563 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,944 ($36.63).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HLMA shares. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on shares of Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.48) to GBX 2,700 ($33.59) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Halma to a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 2,600 ($32.35) price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Halma in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of GBX 2,587.50 ($32.19).

Halma Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of £11.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,208.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is GBX 2,734.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 2,622.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83.

Halma (LON:HLMA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 43.01 ($0.54) earnings per share for the quarter. Halma had a net margin of 13.21% and a return on equity of 16.12%. On average, analysts predict that Halma plc will post 90.5626134 earnings per share for the current year.

Halma Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 19th will be paid a GBX 9 ($0.11) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.36%. Halma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3,098.59%.

Insider Activity at Halma

In other Halma news, insider Carole Cran acquired 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,659 ($33.08) per share, for a total transaction of £212,720 ($264,675.87). Also, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,648 ($32.95), for a total transaction of £1,324,000 ($1,647,380.86). 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Halma Company Profile

Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies, focused on growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day. Its purpose defines the three broad markets it operates in:

– Safety – Protecting people’s safety and the environment as populations grow, and enhancing worker safety.
– Environment – Addressing the impacts of climate change, pollution and waste, protecting life-critical resources and supporting scientific research.
– Health – Meeting the increasing demand for better healthcare as chronic illness rises, driven by growing and ageing populations and lifestyle changes.

Halma employs over 8,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.