Croda International (LON:CRDA) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Croda International Plc (LON:CRDA) shares hit a new 52-week high on Monday. The stock traded as high as GBX 3,643 and last traded at GBX 3,641, with a volume of 11,530,211 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,623.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRDA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Croda International from GBX 3,050 to GBX 3,200 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 3,600 target price on shares of Croda International in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 4,000 target price on shares of Croda International in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 3,300 price target on shares of Croda International in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 3,490.

Croda International Trading Up 0.7%

The company has a market cap of £5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.65, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 36.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 3,331.46 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 3,106.47.

Croda International (LON:CRDA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported GBX 72.20 earnings per share for the quarter. Croda International had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 3.65%. Analysts forecast that Croda International Plc will post 181.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Croda International

In other news, insider Stephen Oxley sold 1,339 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 3,214, for a total transaction of £43,035.46. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 34 shares of company stock worth $113,072. 0.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Croda International Company Profile

Founded in 1925 with the aim of turning bio-based raw materials into innovative ingredients, Croda International is a speciality chemicals company focused on consumer care and life sciences markets. The company is focused on creating, making and selling innovative ingredients that deliver real benefits to a diverse range of customers and employs more than 6,000 people around the world. Sustainability is a core part of the Groups strategy with a commitment to be Climate, Land and People positive by 2030.