Halma (LON:HLMA) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Halma plc (LON:HLMA) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 3,776 and last traded at GBX 3,772, with a volume of 4757615 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,672.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLMA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 3,750 price target on shares of Halma in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Panmure Gordon boosted their target price on Halma from GBX 3,820 to GBX 3,880 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Halma from GBX 3,800 to GBX 3,980 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Halma from GBX 3,500 to GBX 3,900 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Halma from GBX 3,150 to GBX 3,700 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 3,737.50.

Halma Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £14.64 billion, a PE ratio of 42.38, a PEG 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average of GBX 3,597.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 3,468.69.

Halma (LON:HLMA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 16th. The company reported GBX 55.32 EPS for the quarter. Halma had a net margin of 13.21% and a return on equity of 15.87%. Research analysts predict that Halma plc will post 90.5626134 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 9,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.