Clarkson (LON:CKN) Reaches New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• 52-week high: Clarkson shares reached a new 52-week high of GBX 4,800 and last traded around GBX 4,716 with 6,430 shares changing hands, showing recent upward momentum.
• Analyst upgrades: Deutsche Bank and Berenberg lifted price targets to GBX 4,950 and GBX 5,250 respectively, leaving a consensus of three Buys and one Hold and an average price target of GBX 4,712.50 ("Moderate Buy").
• Fundamentals and insider buying: The firm has a market cap of £1.46bn, a P/E of 19.43, ROE of 12.93% and a net margin of 10.41%, and insider Constantin Cotzias recently purchased 1,097 shares at GBX 4,624 (insiders own 5.57%).

Clarkson PLC (LON:CKN - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 4,800 and last traded at GBX 4,715.96, with a volume of 6430 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 4,725.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Clarkson from GBX 4,850 to GBX 4,950 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Berenberg Bank raised their price target on shares of Clarkson from GBX 4,750 to GBX 5,250 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a GBX 4,400 price target on shares of Clarkson in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 4,712.50.

Clarkson Trading Up 0.3%

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 4,374.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 3,952.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a current ratio of 1.78. The firm has a market cap of £1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.89.

Clarkson (LON:CKN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported GBX 225.80 earnings per share for the quarter. Clarkson had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 10.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Clarkson PLC will post 283.011583 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clarkson

In other news, insider Constantin Cotzias purchased 1,097 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 4,624 per share, with a total value of £50,725.28. 5.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Clarkson Company Profile

Clarkson PLC provides integrated shipping services worldwide. The company's Broking segment offers services to shipowners and charterers in the transportation of various cargoes by sea; and to buyers and sellers/yards related to sale and purchase transactions, as well as futures broking operation. Its Financial segment provides investment banking services for maritime, oil services, and natural resources sectors; structured asset finance services and projects in the shipping, offshore, and real estate sectors; and project finance and bespoke asset finance solutions.

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