Halma (LON:HLMA) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Key Points

• Halma shares fell 2.8% to a new 52-week low of GBX 3,256 during Thursday trading, below the previous close of GBX 3,374, amid heavy volume.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with five Buy ratings and four Holds; Halma has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, though the reported average price target suggests substantial upside.
• The company maintains solid liquidity, with a current ratio of 2.14 and quick ratio of 1.51, while insider Marc Ronchetti recently sold 47,000 shares for approximately £1.79 million.

Halma plc (LON:HLMA - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as low as GBX 3,256 and last traded at GBX 3,266, with a volume of 6,716,086 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,374.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HLMA shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 3,660 price objective on shares of Halma in a report on Friday, September 25th. Berenberg Bank reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 4,200 target price on shares of Halma in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Halma has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of £6,003.71.

Halma Trading Down 2.8%

The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 42.13. The stock has a market capitalization of £12.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.41, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 3,541 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 3,917.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Marc Ronchetti sold 47,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 3,813, for a total value of £1,792,110. Insiders own 0.82% 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 9,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.

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