Jefferies Financial Group Increases Diploma (LON:DPLM) Price Target to GBX 5,700

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target on Diploma from GBX 5,200 to GBX 5,700 while maintaining a Hold rating, implying roughly a 1.98% downside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment is generally bullish — five Buys and three Holds yield a consensus of Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of GBX 6,086.25, and individual targets as high as GBX 7,500.
• Shares traded up to GBX 5,815 on heavy volume, giving a market cap of £7.8bn; insiders recorded a 30,000-share sale and a small purchase, with insiders owning 1.14% of the stock.

Diploma (LON:DPLM - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by Jefferies Financial Group from GBX 5,200 to GBX 5,700 in a research report issued on Monday,London Stock Exchange reports. The firm currently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target would indicate a potential downside of 1.98% from the company's current price.

DPLM has been the subject of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,400 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Shore Capital Group reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Diploma in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,800 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,600 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on Diploma from GBX 6,600 to GBX 7,500 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Five 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of GBX 6,086.25.

Diploma Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of DPLM stock traded up GBX 90 on Monday, reaching GBX 5,815. The company had a trading volume of 26,742,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,098,481. The stock has a market cap of £7.80 billion, a PE ratio of 42.35, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 5,457.51 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 5,426.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.97. Diploma has a 12 month low of GBX 3,532 and a 12 month high of GBX 6,019.52.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Johnny Thomson sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 5,668, for a total transaction of £1,700,400. Also, insider Ian El-Mokadem bought 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchased 1,352 shares of company stock worth $7,704,540 over the last quarter. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Diploma Company Profile

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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