Halma (LON:HLMA) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Halma plc (LON:HLMA) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as GBX 3,776 and last traded at GBX 3,772, with a volume of 4757615 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,672.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on HLMA shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Halma from GBX 3,150 to GBX 3,700 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Halma from GBX 3,500 to GBX 3,900 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Halma from GBX 3,800 to GBX 3,980 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 3,750 target price on shares of Halma in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Panmure Gordon raised their price target on Halma from GBX 3,820 to GBX 3,880 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Halma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 3,737.50.

Halma Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of £14.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.86, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53. 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’s 50-day moving average is GBX 3,590.70 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 3,462.23.

Halma (LON:HLMA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 16th. The company reported GBX 55.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Halma had a return on equity of 15.87% and a net margin of 13.21%. On average, research analysts predict that Halma plc will post 90.5626134 earnings per share for the current year.

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 9,000 people in more than 20 countries, with major operations in the UK, Mainland Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific.