Diploma (LON:DPLM) Share Price Crosses Below 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM) shares crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 5,430.92 and traded as low as GBX 5,055. Diploma shares last traded at GBX 5,135, with a volume of 15,322,034 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DPLM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Peel Hunt restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,150 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 6,350 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,000 to GBX 6,200 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Diploma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 5,634.29.

Diploma Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.97. The company’s fifty day moving average is GBX 5,469.36 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 5,427.42. The company has a market cap of £6.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.03.

Diploma (LON:DPLM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 8th. The company reported GBX 176 earnings per share for the quarter. Diploma had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 14.17%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Diploma PLC will post 163.7995512 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Katie Bickerstaffe acquired 352 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 5,645 per share, for a total transaction of £19,870.40. Also, insider Ian El-Mokadem acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 5,615 per share, with a total value of £28,075. Insiders have bought a total of 1,262 shares of company stock worth $6,995,830 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.