Diploma (LON:DPLM) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 7,070 and last traded at GBX 7,065, with a volume of 2234421 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 6,980.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on DPLM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,600 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Shore Capital Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Diploma in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,800 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Diploma from GBX 5,120 to GBX 5,760 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Diploma from GBX 5,200 to GBX 5,700 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 6,251.25.

Diploma Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of GBX 6,067.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 5,662.52. The company has a market cap of £9.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.97, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Ian El-Mokadem acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 5,820 per share, with a total value of £29,100. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.