Halma (LON:HLMA) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Halma plc (LON:HLMA)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 27.40 ($0.34) and last traded at GBX 2,721.50 ($33.49), with a volume of 4998674 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,745 ($33.78).

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HLMA shares. Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Halma in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Berenberg Bank lifted their price target on shares of Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.15) to GBX 2,700 ($33.22) and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Halma to a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 2,600 ($31.99) price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of GBX 2,587.50 ($31.84).

Halma Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 2,658.02 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,607.62. The firm has a market cap of £10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3,814.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53.

Halma Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a GBX 9 ($0.11) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. Halma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3,098.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Halma news, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,648 ($32.58), for a total value of £1,324,000 ($1,629,137.44). 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Halma Company Profile

Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies, focused on growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day. Its purpose defines the three broad markets it operates in:

– Safety – Protecting people’s safety and the environment as populations grow, and enhancing worker safety.
– Environment – Addressing the impacts of climate change, pollution and waste, protecting life-critical resources and supporting scientific research.
– Health – Meeting the increasing demand for better healthcare as chronic illness rises, driven by growing and ageing populations and lifestyle changes.

Halma employs over 8,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.