Halma (LON:HLMA) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Halma plc (LON:HLMA)’s share price reached 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 ($33.95), with a volume of 4998674 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,745 ($34.24).

Analyst Ratings Changes

HLMA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Halma to a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 2,600 ($32.44) price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Shore Capital reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Halma in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.56) to GBX 2,700 ($33.68) and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Halma currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 2,587.50 ($32.28).

Halma Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83. The stock has a market cap of £10.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3,816.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 2,653.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 2,604.70.

Halma Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Halma

In other news, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,648 ($33.03), for a total value of £1,324,000 ($1,651,696.61). Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

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.