Halma (LON:HLMA) Receives "Hold" Rating from Shore Capital

Key Points

• Shore Capital has maintained a "hold" rating on Halma (LON:HLMA), with a price target of GBX 3,200, indicating a potential downside of 2.32% from its previous close.
• Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Halma with a "buy" rating and a higher price target of GBX 3,740, contrasting with the current consensus rating of "hold" among analysts.
• Insiders have sold a significant amount of Halma shares recently, totaling over £1 million, which raises questions about the stock's future performance given that 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Halma (LON:HLMA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold" rating restated by research analysts at Shore Capital in a report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They presently have a GBX 3,200 price target on the stock. Shore Capital's price target suggests a potential downside of 3.03% from the company's current price.

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Halma in a report on Thursday, August 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a GBX 3,740 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Halma presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of GBX 3,060.

Halma Stock Up 0.5%

LON:HLMA traded up GBX 18 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching GBX 3,300. The company's stock had a trading volume of 321,354 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,966. The company has a market capitalization of £12.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53. Halma has a 12 month low of GBX 2,316 and a 12 month high of GBX 3,344.60. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 3,230.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 2,944.87.

Halma (LON:HLMA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 12th. The company reported GBX 94.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Halma had a return on equity of 15.87% and a net margin of 13.21%. Equities analysts predict that Halma will post 90.5626134 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Marc Ronchetti sold 36,245 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 3,248, for a total value of £1,177,237.60. Also, insider Hudson La Force acquired 2,000 shares of Halma stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 4,288 per share, for a total transaction of £85,760. In the last three months, insiders have sold 65,175 shares of company stock worth $211,232,540. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Halma Company Profile

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.