Hill & Smith (LON:HILS) Given “Buy” Rating at Berenberg Bank

Berenberg Bank reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Hill & Smith (LON:HILS) in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a GBX 2,500 ($32.52) target price on the stock.

Separately, Shore Capital reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hill & Smith in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

Hill & Smith Trading Up 0.9 %

LON:HILS opened at GBX 1,932 ($25.13) on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is GBX 1,908.28 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 1,982.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.30, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 2.20. Hill & Smith has a 52 week low of GBX 1,734 ($22.56) and a 52 week high of GBX 2,330 ($30.31). The firm has a market cap of £1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31 and a beta of 1.31.

Hill & Smith (LON:HILS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The company reported GBX 122.60 ($1.59) EPS for the quarter. Hill & Smith had a net margin of 9.23% and a return on equity of 17.39%. Equities analysts expect that Hill & Smith will post 129.1287386 earnings per share for the current year.

Hill & Smith Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 29th will be given a dividend of GBX 32.50 ($0.42) per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 29th. This is an increase from Hill & Smith’s previous dividend of $16.50. Hill & Smith’s payout ratio is presently 47.30%.

Insider Activity at Hill & Smith

In other Hill & Smith news, insider Carol Chesney acquired 1,054 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 1,842 ($23.96) per share, for a total transaction of £19,414.68 ($25,256.51). Also, insider Alan Giddins bought 4,225 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 1,875 ($24.39) per share, with a total value of £79,218.75 ($103,055.48). 1.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hill & Smith Company Profile

Our purpose is to create sustainable infrastructure and safe transport through innovation.

Hill & Smith PLC is an international group with leading positions in the supply of infrastructure products and galvanizing services to global markets. Through a focus on leading positions in niche markets we aim to consistently deliver strong returns and shareholder value.

Supplying to, and located in, global markets the Group serves customers from facilities in Australia, India, Sweden, the UK and the USA, building a presence in international markets, where countries are upgrading or improving their infrastructure as their economies grow.