Spectris (LON:SXS) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Spectris plc (LON:SXS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as GBX 2,496 ($32.67) and last traded at GBX 2,506 ($32.80), with a volume of 382257 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,568 ($33.61).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on SXS. Berenberg Bank raised Spectris to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from GBX 3,520 ($46.07) to GBX 3,920 ($51.30) in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Spectris from GBX 4,435 ($58.04) to GBX 4,190 ($54.84) and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Shore Capital upgraded shares of Spectris to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 2,950 ($38.61) target price on shares of Spectris in a research note 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 4,707.50 ($61.61).

Spectris Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 2,813.47 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 3,036.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.36, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.37. The company has a market capitalization of £2.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 938.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.61.

Spectris Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.89%. Spectris’s dividend payout ratio is presently 3,022.39%.

Insider Activity at Spectris

In related news, insider Mark Williamson bought 706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,832 ($37.06) per share, with a total value of £19,993.92 ($26,166.63). Insiders have purchased a total of 716 shares of company stock worth $2,028,097 over the last quarter. 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.