Diploma (LON:DPLM) Sets New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Diploma shares reached a new 52-week high of GBX 7,630 and last traded at GBX 7,535, up 0.2%, giving the company a market capitalization of about £10.1 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with five Buy ratings and three Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus. Price targets range from GBX 7,000 to GBX 9,000, although the average target of GBX 7,044.29 is below the current share price.
• Insiders have continued buying shares, including purchases by Mandy Gradden and Katie Bickerstaffe; insiders bought 1,781 shares worth approximately $12.6 million over the past three months.

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as GBX 7,630 and last traded at GBX 7,535, with a volume of 286331 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 7,520.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DPLM shares. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 9,000 target price on shares of Diploma in a report on Monday, July 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,400 to GBX 7,200 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Diploma from GBX 7,300 to GBX 7,400 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 7,000 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of GBX 7,044.29.

Diploma Stock Up 0.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of £10.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.65. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 7,042.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 6,319.21.

Diploma (LON:DPLM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 19th. The company reported GBX 74.70 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of £851.10 million during the quarter. Diploma had a net margin of 9.42% and a return on equity of 18.55%. As a group, research analysts predict that Diploma PLC will post 163.7995512 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Mandy Gradden purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 7,183 per share, for a total transaction of £71,830. Also, insider Katie Bickerstaffe  acquired 177 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 6,730 per share, with a total value of £11,912.10. Over the last three months, insiders bought 1,781 shares of company stock worth $12,638,928. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company's stock.

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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