Diploma (LON:DPLM) Sets New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Diploma shares reached a new 52-week high of GBX 7,960, up from the previous close of GBX 7,870, with trading volume of approximately 2.29 million shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: six analysts rate the stock Buy and two rate it Hold, resulting in a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating. Price targets range from GBX 7,400 to GBX 9,000.
• Insiders have continued buying shares, acquiring 1,850 shares worth approximately $13.3 million over the past 90 days; corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company.

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday. The stock traded as high as GBX 7,960 and last traded at GBX 7,960, with a volume of 2288952 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 7,870.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DPLM. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a GBX 7,400 target price on shares of Diploma in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Diploma from GBX 5,760 to GBX 8,250 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 9,000 target price on shares of Diploma in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 7,400.

Diploma Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 2.06. The firm has a market cap of £10.68 billion, a PE ratio of 56.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 7,387.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 7,017.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Diploma news, insider Katie Bickerstaffe  purchased 246 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 7,696 per share, for a total transaction of £18,932.16. Also, insider Wilson Ng acquired 424 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 7,066 per share, for a total transaction of £29,959.84. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 1,850 shares of company stock worth $13,340,934. 1.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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