Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Boosts Stake in Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT) by 25.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,194,988 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 243,539 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Vontier were worth $43,581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vontier by 137.7% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Vontier during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vontier by 44.5% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vontier in the 4th quarter worth $98,000. Finally, C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Vontier in the 4th quarter worth about $99,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.83% of the company’s stock.

Vontier Price Performance

Shares of VNT stock opened at $28.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.36. Vontier Co. has a 52-week low of $27.78 and a 52-week high of $43.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.28.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $776.80 million during the quarter. Vontier had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 43.22%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vontier Co. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Vontier Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.025 per share. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 6th. Vontier’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on VNT. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Vontier in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $47.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research raised Vontier from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Vontier from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays decreased their price target on Vontier from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Vontier from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.50.

About Vontier

Vontier Corporation provides mobility ecosystem solutions worldwide. The company operates through Mobility Technologies, Repair Solutions, and Environmental and Fueling Solutions segments. The Mobility Technologies segment provides digitally equipment solutions for mobility ecosystem, such as point-of-sale and payment systems, workflow automation, telematics, data analytics, software platform, and integrated solutions for alternative fuel dispensing.