Halma (LON:HLMA) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Halma plc reached a new 52-week high at GBX 3,362 ($45.82) during trading, with a recent price of GBX 3,358.70 ($45.78) and a trading volume of over 1.38 million shares.
• Analyst ratings have indicated a consensus of "Hold" with a price target of GBX 3,316, while some analysts have assigned a "Buy" rating and higher price targets up to GBX 3,750.
• Insiders sold a total of 65,175 shares over the last quarter, amounting to a substantial value of about £211 million, with only 0.81% of the stock currently owned by company insiders.

Shares of Halma plc (LON:HLMA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 3,362 ($45.30) and last traded at GBX 3,358.70 ($45.25), with a volume of 1382233 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,272 ($44.09).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HLMA has been the subject of several research reports. Berenberg Bank upped their target price on shares of Halma from GBX 3,250 to GBX 3,750 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Shore Capital restated a "hold" rating and set a GBX 3,200 price objective on shares of Halma in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Halma in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a GBX 3,740 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Halma from GBX 3,200 to GBX 3,290 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Halma currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 3,316.

Halma Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 3,260.76 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,990.97. The stock has a market cap of £12.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4,328.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.45.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Marc Ronchetti sold 36,245 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 3,248, for a total value of £1,177,237.60. Also, insider Jennifer Ward sold 4,021 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 3,202, for a total value of £128,752.42. Insiders sold a total of 65,175 shares of company stock worth $211,232,540 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

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.