SG Americas Securities LLC Cuts Position in AMETEK, Inc. $AME

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its position in shares of AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) by 74.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,277 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 3,815 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in AMETEK were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AMETEK by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 26,997,665 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,885,497,000 after buying an additional 513,402 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of AMETEK by 1.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,637,303 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,743,966,000 after acquiring an additional 126,105 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AMETEK by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,794,236 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,044,009,000 after acquiring an additional 104,139 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AMETEK by 22.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,254,475 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $769,890,000 after acquiring an additional 775,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flossbach Von Storch SE boosted its stake in shares of AMETEK by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Flossbach Von Storch SE now owns 3,785,676 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $685,056,000 after purchasing an additional 15,610 shares in the last quarter. 87.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AMETEK Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE AME opened at $222.26 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.16. AMETEK, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $145.02 and a fifty-two week high of $224.37. The stock has a market cap of $51.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $206.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.34.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The technology company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. AMETEK had a return on equity of 16.66% and a net margin of 20.50%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.66 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that AMETEK, Inc. will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

AMETEK Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. AMETEK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on AME. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of AMETEK from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AMETEK in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on AMETEK from $198.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on AMETEK in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $271.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on AMETEK from $212.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.82.

Insider Activity at AMETEK

In related news, insider Thomas C. Marecic sold 14,310 shares of AMETEK stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.11, for a total transaction of $2,892,194.10. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 42,589 shares in the company, valued at $8,607,662.79. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ronald J. Oscher sold 26,290 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.05, for a total value of $5,259,314.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 40,226 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,047,211.30. This trade represents a 39.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 163,378 shares of company stock valued at $32,471,654. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AMETEK Profile

AMETEK, Inc is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices that serves a broad range of industries. Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, the company designs and produces precision instruments, electronic measurement devices, specialty sensors, and electric motors and motion control systems. Its product portfolio includes analytical and monitoring instruments, calibration equipment, power supplies, embedded electronics, and industrial motors and drives used for critical applications.

The company operates through two primary business platforms — an electronic instruments group focused on analytical, test and measurement and sensor products, and an electromechanical group that supplies motors, actuators, and related power and motion solutions.