Halma shares close flat at 3,954p as photonics focus weighs on premium

Halma unchanged, Capital Group takes stake above 5%

June 24, 2026

London, June 24, 2026, 16:03 (BST)

  • Capital Group’s voting rights moved up to 5.125%, compared with 4.99% before.
  • Halma executive Constance Baroudel unloaded 17,530 shares worth roughly £693,345 before stepping down from the company.
  • Halma was up 0.1% at 3,906 pence as of 1601 BST, still around 20% off its June 3 peak.

Halma disclosed in a Wednesday filing that The Capital Group Companies increased its voting rights stake to 5.125211%, or about 19.46 million votes, up from 4.99%. The crossing happened on June 22. According to the TR-1 notice, investors must file when they move past certain voting rights thresholds.

Capital Group held the shares in client accounts, the filing said. The firm and its affiliates did not own any of the stock for themselves.

Shares of Halma were flat late in London, with AJ Bell quoting them at roughly 3,902-3,904 pence. That’s steady versus Tuesday’s 3,902 pence close.

The stock dropped 1.7% Tuesday. It’s down around 20% since its 52-week high of 4,902 pence set on June 3.

Halma’s Environmental & Analysis boss and chief sustainability officer Baroudel sold 17,530 shares at £39.5519 apiece, a filing out Tuesday shows. The June 22 transaction totaled £693,344.80.

Baroudel is set to depart Halma at the end of August. She takes over as chief executive of Spectris starting September 1. “This is the right moment for me to take on a new leadership challenge,” Baroudel said at the time of her appointment. Steve Brown steps into her Halma sector job. Halma

Spectris, which makes precision instruments for science and industry, was acquired by private-equity firm KKR. The company was taken off the London Stock Exchange in December 2025.

Halma posted a 15% jump in annual revenue to £2.58 billion this month. Adjusted EBIT climbed 22% to £594.5 million. “We grew revenue to over £2.5bn and Adjusted profit to over £500m, both for the first time,” Chief Executive Marc Ronchetti said. Halma

Halma shares dropped almost 15% after the company guided to low-double-digit organic revenue growth at constant currencies through March 2027, below the 16% pace reported last year. Organic growth at constant currency doesn’t count acquisitions, disposals, or FX swings. Halma now sees photonics contributing about five points to growth, down from around eight last year.

Halma still faces risks from weak photonics demand and patchy trading in other markets. Russ Mould at AJ Bell said management’s outlook “could represent a sensible dose of conservatism from management against an uncertain backdrop.” If the slowdown gets worse, hitting the low-double-digit target could be tough. MarketScreener

Halma investors will vote on a 15.11p final dividend at the annual meeting on July 23. If they agree, the payout goes out August 14.

Konrad Wysocki

Konrad Wysocki is a senior markets reporter at Bez-kabli.pl, specializing in technology stocks, artificial intelligence and global financial markets. A graduate of the University of Rzeszów, he previously worked in investment research and market analysis. His coverage helps readers understand the key trends, companies and innovations influencing investors worldwide.

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