Diploma (LON:DPLM) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Diploma PLC (LON:DPLM)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 4,323.40 ($54.33) and traded as high as GBX 4,328 ($54.39). Diploma shares last traded at GBX 4,304 ($54.09), with a volume of 535,398 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DPLM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Diploma from GBX 4,150 ($52.16) to GBX 4,370 ($54.92) and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Shore Capital lowered Diploma to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 5,100 ($64.09) price objective on shares of Diploma in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Diploma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 4,555 ($57.25).

Diploma Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.69, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 2.27. The firm has a market cap of £5.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 5,004.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.75. The company’s 50 day moving average is GBX 4,409.37 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 4,323.40.

Diploma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 16th will be paid a GBX 42 ($0.53) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.93%. This is a boost from Diploma’s previous dividend of $17.30. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 16th. Diploma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6,627.91%.

Insider Activity at Diploma

In related news, insider Johnny Thomson sold 26,794 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 4,536 ($57.01), for a total value of £1,215,375.84 ($1,527,429.73). 0.52% 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.