Clarkson (LON:CKN) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Clarkson PLC (LON:CKN) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 4,800 and last traded at GBX 4,715.96, with a volume of 6430 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 4,725.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Clarkson from GBX 4,850 to GBX 4,950 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Clarkson from GBX 4,750 to GBX 5,250 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a GBX 4,400 price objective on shares of Clarkson in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 4,712.50.

Clarkson Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 4,400.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 3,966.61. The stock has a market capitalization of £1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.49 and a beta of 0.72.

Clarkson (LON:CKN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 9th. The company reported GBX 225.80 earnings per share for the quarter. Clarkson had a net margin of 10.41% and a return on equity of 12.93%. On average, equities analysts predict that Clarkson PLC will post 283.011583 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Clarkson news, insider Constantin Cotzias bought 1,097 shares of Clarkson stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 4,624 per share, with a total value of £50,725.28. Corporate insiders own 5.57% of the company’s stock.

About Clarkson

Clarkson PLC provides integrated shipping services worldwide. The company's Broking segment offers services to shipowners and charterers in the transportation of various cargoes by sea; and to buyers and sellers/yards related to sale and purchase transactions, as well as futures broking operation. Its Financial segment provides investment banking services for maritime, oil services, and natural resources sectors; structured asset finance services and projects in the shipping, offshore, and real estate sectors; and project finance and bespoke asset finance solutions.