Halma (LON:HLMA) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Halma plc (LON:HLMA - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2,636.11 ($32.70) and traded as high as GBX 2,974 ($36.89). Halma shares last traded at GBX 2,940 ($36.47), with a volume of 615,579 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on HLMA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Halma to a "neutral" rating and set a GBX 2,600 ($32.25) price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on shares of Halma from GBX 2,450 ($30.39) to GBX 2,700 ($33.49) and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Shore Capital reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Halma in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of GBX 2,587.50 ($32.10).

Halma Stock Down 1.2 %

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 2,790.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 2,638.90. 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 company has a market capitalization of £10.80 billion, a PE ratio of 4,030.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.53.

Halma (LON:HLMA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported GBX 43.01 ($0.53) earnings per share for the quarter. Halma had a net margin of 13.21% and a return on equity of 16.12%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Halma plc will post 90.5626134 earnings per share for the current year.

Halma Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were paid a dividend of GBX 9 ($0.11) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 19th. Halma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3,098.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jennifer Ward sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,648 ($32.85), for a total value of £1,324,000 ($1,642,272.39). Also, insider Carole Cran purchased 8,000 shares of Halma stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 2,659 ($32.98) per share, for a total transaction of £212,720 ($263,855.12). Insiders own 2.20% of the company's stock.

About Halma

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.