Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Gentex Co. (NASDAQ:GNTX) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $23.41 and last traded at $23.51, with a volume of 631780 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.88.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GNTX has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on Gentex from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $31.00 target price on shares of Gentex in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Gentex from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and set a $32.50 price objective (down previously from $37.00) on shares of Gentex in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim set a $30.00 target price on Gentex in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $31.81.

Gentex Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $25.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.90.

Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.10). Gentex had a net margin of 17.49% and a return on equity of 16.74%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Analysts predict that Gentex Co. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Gentex Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Gentex’s payout ratio is 27.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gentex

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Gentex by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,446 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gentex by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 65,805 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Gentex by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,445 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in shares of Gentex by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,419 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Gentex by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,641 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 605 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.76% of the company’s stock.

About Gentex

Gentex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and supplies digital vision, connected car, dimmable glass, and fire protection products in the United States, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, and internationally. It operates through Automotive Products and Other segments. The company offers automotive products, including interior and exterior electrochromic automatic-dimming rearview mirrors, automotive electronics, and non-automatic-dimming rearview mirrors for automotive passenger cars, light trucks, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans for original equipment manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and various aftermarket and accessory customers.