Clarkson (LON:CKN) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Clarkson PLC (LON:CKN) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 4,840 and last traded at GBX 4,830, with a volume of 32587 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 4,800.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CKN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Clarkson from GBX 4,750 to GBX 5,250 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Clarkson from GBX 4,850 to GBX 4,950 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a GBX 4,400 target price on shares of Clarkson in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 4,712.50.

Clarkson Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 4,436.41 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 3,995.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66. The company has a market cap of £1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.67 and a beta of 0.72.

Clarkson (LON:CKN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 9th. The company reported GBX 225.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Clarkson had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 10.41%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Clarkson PLC will post 283.011583 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Constantin Cotzias acquired 1,097 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 4,624 per share, with a total value of £50,725.28. 5.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Clarkson

Clarkson PLC provides integrated shipping services worldwide. The company's Broking segment offers services to shipowners and charterers in the transportation of various cargoes by sea; and to buyers and sellers/yards related to sale and purchase transactions, as well as futures broking operation. Its Financial segment provides investment banking services for maritime, oil services, and natural resources sectors; structured asset finance services and projects in the shipping, offshore, and real estate sectors; and project finance and bespoke asset finance solutions.