Galliford Try (LON:GFRD) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Galliford Try shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching GBX 681 and last trading at GBX 667, compared with the average of GBX 580.64.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: Berenberg raised its price target from GBX 680 to GBX 750 and reaffirmed a “Buy” rating, while the consensus rating is also “Buy.”
• The company reported quarterly EPS of GBX 41.70 and analysts expect full-year EPS of GBX 25.16, but insiders have recently sold 276,955 shares, including a 250,000-share sale by Bill Hocking.

Galliford Try Holdings plc (LON:GFRD - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 580.64 and traded as high as GBX 681. Galliford Try shares last traded at GBX 667, with a volume of 353,952 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on shares of Galliford Try from GBX 680 to GBX 750 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of GBX 650.

Galliford Try Price Performance

The firm's 50-day moving average is GBX 646.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 580.64. The company has a market cap of £658.48 million, a P/E ratio of 16.72, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.36, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Galliford Try (LON:GFRD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 17th. The company reported GBX 41.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Galliford Try had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 32.45%. Analysts anticipate that Galliford Try Holdings plc will post 25.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Galliford Try declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, September 17th that allows the company to repurchase 0 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Share repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Bill Hocking sold 250,000 shares of Galliford Try stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 672, for a total value of £1,680,000. Also, insider Kris Hampson sold 5,117 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 534, for a total value of £27,324.78. In the last quarter, insiders sold 276,955 shares of company stock valued at $185,975,402. 3.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Galliford Try

Galliford Try is one of the UK's leading construction groups, working to improve the UK's built environment, delivering positive, lasting change for the communities we work in on behalf of our clients. Our business operates mainly under the Galliford Try and Morrison Construction brands, focusing on areas where we have core and proven strengths, namely in Building, Highways and Environment. We see long-term growth and appropriate margins in these markets. Our company is founded on our values of excellence, passion, integrity and collaboration, and our vision is to be a people-orientated, progressive business, driven by our values to deliver lasting change for our stakeholders and the communities we work in.

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