Smiths Group (LON:SMIN) Trading Down 9.2% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares fell 9.2% to GBX 2,134 on Friday (intraday low GBX 2,114) with volume of 66.16m shares—an 831% jump versus average—leaving the stock below its 50‑ and 200‑day moving averages.
• Analysts remain broadly positive with four Buys and one Hold and an average target of GBX 3,182, after recent target upgrades from firms including RBC, Citi and JPMorgan.
• Key fundamentals: market cap ~£6.54bn, P/E 24.6 and PEG 0.35; latest quarterly EPS GBX 62 and analysts forecast roughly GBX 85 for the fiscal year.

Shares of Smiths Group plc (LON:SMIN - Get Free Report) fell 9.2% on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 2,114 and last traded at GBX 2,134. 66,163,852 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 831% from the average session volume of 7,102,946 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,350.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on SMIN shares. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 2,750 target price on shares of Smiths Group in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Smiths Group from GBX 3,500 to GBX 4,300 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Smiths Group from GBX 2,950 to GBX 3,040 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Panmure Gordon restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 2,870 target price on shares of Smiths Group in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Smiths Group from GBX 2,820 to GBX 2,950 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 3,182.

Smiths Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.76, a current ratio of 2.18 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 2,572.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 2,463.93. The company has a market cap of £6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.35 and a beta of 0.59.

Smiths Group (LON:SMIN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 20th. The company reported GBX 62 EPS for the quarter. Smiths Group had a return on equity of 13.46% and a net margin of 9.95%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Smiths Group plc will post 85.1295337 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Smiths Group news, insider Simon Pryce bought 68 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,496 per share, with a total value of £1,697.28. Also, insider Richard Howes acquired 70 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,496 per share, for a total transaction of £1,747.20. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Smiths Group Company Profile

Smiths Group plc operates as an industrial engineering company in Americas, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through four businesses: John Crane, Smiths Detection, Flex-Tek, and Smiths Interconnect. The John Crane business engineers mechanical seals, seal support systems, power transmission couplings, and specialized filtration systems. The Smiths Detection business provides sensors and systems that detect and identify explosives, narcotics, weapons, chemical agents, biohazards, and contraband.

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