Diploma (LON:DPLM) Sets New 1-Year High Following Insider Buying Activity

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as GBX 7,775 and last traded at GBX 7,760, with a volume of 1460091 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 7,620.

Specifically, insider Katie Bickerstaffe  acquired 246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 7,696 per share, for a total transaction of £18,932.16.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DPLM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 9,000 target price on shares of Diploma in a research note on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Diploma from GBX 5,760 to GBX 8,250 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a GBX 7,400 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 7,000 price objective on shares of Diploma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 7,400.

Diploma Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 7,333.91 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 6,869.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.65, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market cap of £10.41 billion, a PE ratio of 55.15, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.92.

About Diploma

Diploma PLC, together with its subsidiaries, supplies specialized technical products and services in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, North America, and internationally. It operates through three business sectors: Life Sciences, Seals, and Controls. The Life Sciences sector supplies technology-enabled products used in surgical procedures in operating theatres and endoscopy; testing equipment and services for clinical laboratories; and bio-pharma, food safety and testing, and other research-oriented products.