Haleon (NYSE:HLN) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Haleon plc (NYSE:HLN - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $10.85 and last traded at $10.75, with a volume of 4552244 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.33.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. HSBC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Haleon in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Haleon from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Haleon from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Haleon from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Haleon in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.95.

Haleon Stock Up 3.4 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $10.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.24.

Haleon (NYSE:HLN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $3.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.38 billion. Haleon had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 14.76%. Sell-side analysts expect that Haleon plc will post 0.43 EPS for the current year.

Haleon Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, April 25th will be given a $0.1166 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 25th. This is a boost from Haleon's previous -- dividend of $0.05. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. Haleon's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.97%.

Institutional Trading of Haleon

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HLN. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Haleon in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Haleon by 135.9% during the first quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,588 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,491 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Haleon in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Haleon by 2,029.1% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,513 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 3,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Haleon in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 6.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Haleon Company Profile

Haleon plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of various consumer healthcare products in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company provides oral health products, such as toothpastes, mouth washes, and denture care products under the Sensodyne, Polident, Parodontax, Biotene brands; and vitamins, minerals, and supplements under Centrum, Emergen-C, Caltrate brands.

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