Diploma (LON:DPLM) Receives Hold Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Diploma (LON:DPLM)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued on Friday,Digital Look reports. They presently have a GBX 7,000 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 0.07% from the company’s current price.

DPLM has been the topic of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Diploma from GBX 6,200 to GBX 6,800 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,600 to GBX 7,300 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Diploma from GBX 6,400 to GBX 7,200 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Shore Capital Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Diploma in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Diploma from GBX 7,500 to GBX 9,000 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 6,788.75.

Diploma Stock Up 1.7%

Diploma stock traded up GBX 115 during midday trading on Friday, hitting GBX 6,995. 1,474,499 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,583,615. The company’s fifty day moving average price is GBX 6,590.37 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 5,829.51. The company has a market cap of £9.38 billion, a PE ratio of 50.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 47.65, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 0.80. Diploma has a fifty-two week low of GBX 4,558 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 7,295.

Diploma (LON:DPLM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 19th. The company reported GBX 74.70 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of £851.10 million for the quarter. Diploma had a return on equity of 18.55% and a net margin of 9.42%. On average, research analysts predict that Diploma will post 163.7995512 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ian El-Mokadem acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 5,820 per share, with a total value of £29,100. Also, insider Katie Bickerstaffe  acquired 177 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 6,730 per share, with a total value of £11,912.10. 1.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Diploma

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.