Halma (LON:HLMA) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Halma plc (LON:HLMA) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,646.21 ($33.31) and traded as high as GBX 2,945 ($37.07). Halma shares last traded at GBX 2,945 ($37.07), with a volume of 456,152 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLMA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Halma to a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 2,600 ($32.72) price target for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Berenberg Bank raised their target price on Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.84) to GBX 2,700 ($33.98) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Halma in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 2,587.50 ($32.57).

Halma Stock Down 0.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is GBX 2,810.14 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 2,648.47. The company has a market cap of £11.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.16, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53.

Halma (LON:HLMA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 43.01 ($0.54) EPS for the quarter. Halma had a return on equity of 15.87% and a net margin of 13.21%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Halma plc will post 90.5626134 EPS for the current year.

Halma Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were paid a dividend of GBX 9 ($0.11) per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 19th. This represents a yield of 0.36%. Halma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Carole Cran acquired 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 2,659 ($33.47) per share, with a total value of £212,720 ($267,740.72). Also, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,648 ($33.33), for a total value of £1,324,000 ($1,666,456.89). Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

About Halma

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 8,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.