Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) Shares Acquired by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,599 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Avery Dennison were worth $2,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 100.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 142 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Regents Gate Capital LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 76.0% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 301 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the third quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the fourth quarter worth approximately $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Avery Dennison Stock Performance

Shares of AVY opened at $174.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a PE ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.19. Avery Dennison Co. has a 12-month low of $173.02 and a 12-month high of $233.48.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by ($0.01). Avery Dennison had a return on equity of 33.06% and a net margin of 8.05%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Avery Dennison Co. will post 9.96 EPS for the current year.

Avery Dennison Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Avery Dennison’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Mitchell R. Butier sold 12,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.85, for a total transaction of $2,358,412.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 303,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,160,742.35. This trade represents a 4.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Avery Dennison from $235.00 to $207.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Avery Dennison from $228.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Avery Dennison from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $220.00 price target on shares of Avery Dennison in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $226.00 price target on shares of Avery Dennison in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.51.

About Avery Dennison

Avery Dennison Corporation operates as a materials science and digital identification solutions company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, Latin, America, and internationally. It provides pressure-sensitive materials comprising papers, plastic films, metal foils, and fabrics; performance tapes products, including tapes for wire harnessing, as well as cable wrapping for automotive, electrical, and general industrial applications; mechanical fasteners, which are precision-extruded and injection-molded plastic devices used in various automotive, general industrial, and retail applications; and other pressure-sensitive adhesive-based materials and converted products under the Fasson, JAC, Yongle, and Avery Dennison brands.