Halma (LON:HLMA) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

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 traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HLMA. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.84) to GBX 2,700 ($33.98) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Halma in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Halma to a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 2,600 ($32.72) target price on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 2,587.50 ($32.57).

Halma Trading Down 0.1 %

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

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

Halma Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Carole Cran acquired 8,000 shares of Halma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 2,659 ($33.47) per share, for a total transaction of £212,720 ($267,740.72). Also, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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). 2.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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