Diploma (LON:DPLM) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as GBX 7,910 and last traded at GBX 7,858.03, with a volume of 544727 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 7,710.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on DPLM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Diploma from GBX 5,760 to GBX 8,250 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a GBX 7,400 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 9,000 price objective on shares of Diploma in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 7,400.

Diploma Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of £10.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.65, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 2.06. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 7,377.63 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 6,978.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Diploma

In related news, insider Wilson Ng acquired 424 shares of Diploma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 16th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 7,066 per share, with a total value of £29,959.84. Also, insider Mandy Gradden acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 7,183 per share, with a total value of £71,830. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 1,850 shares of company stock valued at $13,340,934. 1.14% of the stock is currently 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.