If Halma had the secret of its success locked away in a deposit box at head office, it would have to guard it extremely carefully. The FTSE 100 company in the business of all things related to safety delivered its latest set of record results today, prompting a round of analyst upgrades and a surge in its share price of as much as 12.5 per cent.
This column has been a consistent fan of Halma, probably best known for its smoke detectors, but has tended to recommend holding rather than buying its stock, largely because of the company’s rich valuation. With the price showing very little sign of slowing down, however, could it be that the group’s blowout first-half results mean that it reasonably deserves