Diploma (LON:DPLM) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 5,423.17 and traded as high as GBX 5,683. Diploma shares last traded at GBX 5,635, with a volume of 83,565,617 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on DPLM. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,350 price target on shares of Diploma in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Peel Hunt reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,150 target price on shares of Diploma in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,000 to GBX 6,200 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of GBX 5,634.29.

Diploma Trading Up 0.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 62.17, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 5,445.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 5,423.17. The stock has a market cap of £7.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.75.

Diploma (LON:DPLM) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 8th. The company reported GBX 176 EPS for the quarter. Diploma had a return on equity of 13.18% and a net margin of 9.25%. Equities analysts forecast that Diploma PLC will post 163.7995512 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Diploma

In other Diploma news, insider Johnny Thomson sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 5,668, for a total value of £1,700,400. Also, insider Wilson Ng bought 410 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 5,369 per share, for a total transaction of £22,012.90. Insiders have acquired a total of 1,262 shares of company stock worth $6,995,830 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

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.