Spectris plc (LON:SXS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Spectris plc (LON:SXS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,132.50 ($79.68).

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a GBX 4,250 ($55.22) price objective on shares of Spectris in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Shore Capital reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Spectris in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Spectris to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from GBX 3,520 ($45.74) to GBX 3,920 ($50.94) in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Spectris from GBX 4,435 ($57.63) to GBX 4,190 ($54.44) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th.

Insider Transactions at Spectris

In related news, insider Alison Henwood acquired 1,053 shares of Spectris stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 3,266 ($42.44) per share, with a total value of £34,390.98 ($44,686.82). In other news, insider Alison Henwood acquired 1,053 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 24th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 3,266 ($42.44) per share, with a total value of £34,390.98 ($44,686.82). Also, insider Mark Williamson bought 706 shares of Spectris stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 2,832 ($36.80) per share, with a total value of £19,993.92 ($25,979.63). Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 1,768 shares of company stock worth $5,465,930. Company insiders own 1.25% of the company’s stock.

Spectris Price Performance

SXS stock opened at GBX 2,936 ($38.15) on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 2,971.45 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 3,214.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.37. The stock has a market cap of £2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,088.06, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.64. Spectris has a fifty-two week low of GBX 2,728 ($35.45) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 3,861 ($50.17).

Spectris Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 3rd will be paid a GBX 26.60 ($0.35) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 3rd. This represents a yield of 0.89%. Spectris’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3,022.39%.

About Spectris

Spectris plc provides precision measurement solutions worldwide. It operates through Spectris Scientific, Spectris Dynamics, and Other segments. The Spectris Scientific segment provides advanced sensors and instruments used to measure, analyze, and characterize materials; and monitor ultra-clean manufacturing environments.