Diploma (LON:DPLM) Trading 17.8% Higher – What’s Next?

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM) shares were up 17.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 6,019.52 and last traded at GBX 5,925. Approximately 2,896,099 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 68% from the average daily volume of 1,720,148 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 5,030.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on DPLM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Diploma from GBX 6,000 to GBX 6,200 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,350 price target on shares of Diploma in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Shore Capital Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Diploma in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Peel Hunt reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,150 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Diploma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 5,634.29.

Diploma Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.97, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market capitalization of £7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.37, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is GBX 5,451.05 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 5,421.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Johnny Thomson sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 5,668, for a total transaction of £1,700,400. Also, insider Katie Bickerstaffe acquired 352 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 5,645 per share, for a total transaction of £19,870.40. Insiders purchased 1,262 shares of company stock worth $6,995,830 over the last ninety days. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Diploma Company Profile

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.