Halma (LON:HLMA) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Halma plc (LON:HLMA) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as GBX 15.77 ($0.19) and last traded at GBX 2,951 ($36.33), with a volume of 6786952 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,951 ($36.33).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on HLMA shares. Berenberg Bank upped their target price on Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.16) to GBX 2,700 ($33.24) and gave the stock 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 ($32.01) price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Halma in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 2,587.50 ($31.85).

Halma Stock Up 0.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 2,705.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 2,616.74. The firm has a market capitalization of £11.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,157.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53.

Halma (LON:HLMA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 43.01 ($0.53) EPS for the quarter. Halma had a net margin of 13.21% and a return on equity of 16.12%. On average, equities analysts expect that Halma plc will post 90.5626134 EPS for the current year.

Halma Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Halma

In related news, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,648 ($32.60), for a total value of £1,324,000 ($1,629,939.68). Also, insider Carole Cran purchased 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,659 ($32.73) per share, for a total transaction of £212,720 ($261,873.69). 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Halma

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.