Halma develops and sells products for use in the enhancement of public safety and for minimising hazards in the workplace. Its six business divisions cover the development and supply of visual warning systems, toxic gas and smoke detectors, electronic alarm systems and water leakage detectors.

Recent deals have taken the company into medical tests that show some promise. The company has no debt and good dividend growth

Halma at new record
Date: 21 June 2005

LONDON (ShareCast) - Engineer and fire safety products specialist Halma reported another record year despite difficult trading conditions and an adverse currency and raw material hit of 2.5m.

Underlying profits in the year to March rose to 50.4m, from 50.3m, despite currencies moving against it. Sales rose 2% to 299.1m. Pre-tax profits came in at 44.9m against 36.9m.

Resistors and water had a difficult year, chairman Geoff Unwin said, though other sectors held their own or were better.

'Overall, despite little fundamental help from our markets, we remain cautiously optimistic for the year ahead,' he added.

The dividend for the year goes up by 5% to 6.5p.

Well done CC - but as I believe Warren Buffett's mate Charlie Munger once said "You make your real money by waiting, not by buying and selling". If you had held Halma since the 1970s, a classic example!

partridge - Hindsight is wonderful can't disagree with your sentiments, in the 1970's I was more interested in my career and had no knowledge or interest in stocks and shares, wish I had now of course. I only became interested and started trading/investing in the Stock Market in 2006. To me it is a hobby, I won't be alive in forty or fifty years time so long term investing not really an option for me personally.