Hill & Smith (LON:HILS) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s What Happened

Hill & Smith PLC (LON:HILS) shares hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 1,728 ($22.44) and last traded at GBX 1,732 ($22.49), with a volume of 24977 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,746 ($22.67).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HILS. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 2,500 ($32.46) target price on shares of Hill & Smith in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hill & Smith in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th.

Hill & Smith Stock Down 1.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.30, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 2.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 1,906.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 1,965.82. The company has a market capitalization of £1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 1.31.

Hill & Smith (LON:HILS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 12th. The company reported GBX 122.60 ($1.59) earnings per share for the quarter. Hill & Smith had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 17.39%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hill & Smith PLC will post 129.1287386 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hill & Smith Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of GBX 32.50 ($0.42) per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This represents a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Hill & Smith’s previous dividend of $16.50. Hill & Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.30%.

Insider Transactions at Hill & Smith

In related news, insider Alan Giddins purchased 4,225 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,875 ($24.35) per share, for a total transaction of £79,218.75 ($102,868.13). Also, insider Carol Chesney acquired 1,054 shares of Hill & Smith stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 1,842 ($23.92) per share, with a total value of £19,414.68 ($25,210.60). Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

About Hill & Smith

Our purpose is to create sustainable infrastructure and safe transport through innovation.

Hill & Smith PLC is an international group with leading positions in the supply of infrastructure products and galvanizing services to global markets. Through a focus on leading positions in niche markets we aim to consistently deliver strong returns and shareholder value.

Supplying to, and located in, global markets the Group serves customers from facilities in Australia, India, Sweden, the UK and the USA, building a presence in international markets, where countries are upgrading or improving their infrastructure as their economies grow.