Diploma (LON:DPLM) Shares Pass Below 200 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM - Get Free Report)'s share price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 4,330.65 ($54.19) and traded as low as GBX 4,196 ($52.51). Diploma shares last traded at GBX 4,221.65 ($52.83), with a volume of 99,365 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on DPLM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Diploma from GBX 4,150 ($51.93) to GBX 4,370 ($54.69) and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Shore Capital downgraded shares of Diploma to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 5,100 ($63.82) target price on shares of Diploma in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Diploma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 4,555 ($57.00).

Diploma Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market cap of £5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 4,941.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.75. The business's 50-day moving average price is GBX 4,399.65 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 4,330.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 2.27.

Diploma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of GBX 42 ($0.53) per share. This is an increase from Diploma's previous dividend of $17.30. This represents a dividend yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 16th. Diploma's payout ratio is currently 6,627.91%.

Insider Activity at Diploma

In related news, insider Chris Davies purchased 3,917 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 4,280 ($53.56) per share, for a total transaction of £167,647.60 ($209,795.52). Also, insider Johnny Thomson sold 26,794 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 4,536 ($56.76), for a total value of £1,215,375.84 ($1,520,930.85). 0.52% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Diploma Company Profile

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.