Diploma (LON:DPLM) Reaches New 52-Week High After Insider Buying Activity

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday following insider buying activity. The stock traded as high as GBX 7,360 and last traded at GBX 7,355, with a volume of 4569454 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 7,240.

Specifically, insider Katie Bickerstaffe  bought 47 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 7,050 per share, with a total value of £3,313.50. Also, insider Wilson Ng acquired 424 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 16th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 7,066 per share, for a total transaction of £29,959.84. In other news, insider Katie Bickerstaffe  purchased 133 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 7,048 per share, for a total transaction of £9,373.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on DPLM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Diploma from GBX 5,120 to GBX 5,760 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a GBX 7,000 target price on shares of Diploma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Diploma from GBX 7,300 to GBX 7,400 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Diploma from GBX 6,400 to GBX 7,200 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 9,000 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 7,044.29.

Diploma Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.65. The firm has a market cap of £9.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of GBX 6,970.25 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 6,243.50.

Diploma (LON:DPLM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 19th. The company reported GBX 74.70 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of £851.10 million during the quarter. Diploma had a net margin of 9.42% and a return on equity of 18.55%. On average, research analysts forecast that Diploma PLC will post 163.7995512 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.