Spectris (LON:SXS) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Spectris plc (LON:SXS) shares hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 2,496 ($32.59) and last traded at GBX 2,506 ($32.72), with a volume of 351048 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,526 ($32.99).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on SXS shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Spectris from GBX 4,435 ($57.91) to GBX 4,190 ($54.71) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 12th. Shore Capital upgraded shares of Spectris to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Spectris to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from GBX 3,520 ($45.97) to GBX 3,920 ($51.19) in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a GBX 2,950 ($38.52) price target on shares of Spectris in a research report on Monday, September 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 4,707.50 ($61.47).

Spectris Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.37, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 2.36. The stock has a market capitalization of £2.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 938.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 2,799.69 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 3,022.18.

Spectris Cuts Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mark Williamson bought 706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 2,832 ($36.98) per share, with a total value of £19,993.92 ($26,108.54). In the last three months, insiders bought 716 shares of company stock valued at $2,028,097. Company insiders own 1.21% of the company’s stock.

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.