Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Johnson Matthey PLC (LON:JMAT) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 2,400 and last traded at GBX 2,386, with a volume of 58393 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,380.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on JMAT. Berenberg Bank decreased their price target on shares of Johnson Matthey from GBX 2,100 to GBX 2,050 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Johnson Matthey from GBX 2,200 to GBX 2,420 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Johnson Matthey from GBX 1,800 to GBX 2,100 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Johnson Matthey from GBX 2,300 to GBX 2,400 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Panmure Gordon reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 2,370 target price on shares of Johnson Matthey in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson Matthey currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 2,268.

Johnson Matthey Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 2,216.88 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 2,057.64. The firm has a market cap of £3.86 billion, a PE ratio of -34.93, a P/E/G ratio of 49,242.50 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.73.

Johnson Matthey (LON:JMAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The company reported GBX 51.20 earnings per share for the quarter. Johnson Matthey had a net margin of 0.84% and a return on equity of 4.49%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Johnson Matthey PLC will post 173.4112903 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Johnson Matthey

In related news, insider Liam Condon acquired 14 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 2,013 per share, for a total transaction of £281.82. Also, insider Alastair Judge acquired 12 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 2,321 per share, with a total value of £278.52. In the last three months, insiders purchased 46 shares of company stock worth $100,894. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Johnson Matthey Company Profile

Johnson Matthey is a global leader in science that enables a cleaner and healthier world. With over 200 years of sustained commitment to innovation and technological breakthroughs, they improve the function, performance and safety of their customers’ products. Their science has a global impact in areas such as low emission transport, pharmaceuticals, chemical processing and making the most efficient use of the planet’s natural resources. Today more than 13,000 Johnson Matthey professionals collaborate with their network of customers and partners to make a real difference to the world around us.