Diploma (LON:DPLM) Sets New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Diploma hit a new 52-week high, trading intraday as high as GBX 6,265 and last at GBX 6,235 on a volume of about 643,695 shares.
• Analysts have raised price targets recently (five Buys, three Holds), giving an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of GBX 6,251.25.
• Notable insider activity: director Johnny Thomson sold 30,000 shares at GBX 5,668 (≈£1.7m) on Jan 16 while Ian El‑Mokadem bought 500 shares at GBX 5,820 on Mar 20; insiders now own about 1.14% of the stock.

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 6,265 and last traded at GBX 6,235, with a volume of 643695 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 6,225.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DPLM. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Diploma from GBX 5,200 to GBX 5,700 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,800 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,600 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Diploma from GBX 5,120 to GBX 5,760 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Shore Capital Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Diploma in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 6,251.25.

Diploma Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of £8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.97. The stock's 50-day moving average price is GBX 5,552.20 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 5,467.49.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Johnny Thomson sold 30,000 shares of Diploma stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 5,668, for a total value of £1,700,400. Also, insider Ian El-Mokadem purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 5,820 per share, for a total transaction of £29,100. Insiders have bought a total of 1,352 shares of company stock valued at $7,704,540 over the last 90 days. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Diploma

Diploma PLC, together with its subsidiaries, supplies specialized technical products and services in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, North America, and internationally. It operates through three business sectors: Life Sciences, Seals, and Controls. The Life Sciences sector supplies technology-enabled products used in surgical procedures in operating theatres and endoscopy; testing equipment and services for clinical laboratories; and bio-pharma, food safety and testing, and other research-oriented products.

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