Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys Shares of 38,978 Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE:SNA)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE:SNA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 38,978 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,232,000. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.07% of Snap-on as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of SNA. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Snap-on in the 4th quarter valued at $148,839,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Snap-on during the fourth quarter worth about $145,342,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Snap-on by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,819,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $617,651,000 after purchasing an additional 411,317 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Snap-on during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,738,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Snap-on by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,128,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $384,813,000 after purchasing an additional 127,859 shares in the last quarter. 84.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Snap-on Stock Down 0.8 %

Snap-on stock traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $308.37. The stock had a trading volume of 75,257 shares, compared to its average volume of 356,120. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $328.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $338.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 3.17 and a current ratio of 4.15. Snap-on Incorporated has a 1-year low of $252.98 and a 1-year high of $373.90.

Snap-on (NYSE:SNA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The company reported $4.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.81 by ($0.30). Snap-on had a net margin of 21.71% and a return on equity of 19.20%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.91 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Snap-on Incorporated will post 19.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Snap-on Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a $2.14 dividend. This represents a $8.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Snap-on's payout ratio is presently 44.82%.

Insider Activity at Snap-on

In other news, SVP Jesus Arregui sold 6,451 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.81, for a total transaction of $2,179,212.31. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 257 shares in the company, valued at $86,817.17. The trade was a 96.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Aldo John Pagliari sold 6,860 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $339.05, for a total value of $2,325,883.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 107,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,310,898.80. This trade represents a 6.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 36,011 shares of company stock valued at $12,116,859. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on SNA shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Snap-on from $349.00 to $320.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered Snap-on from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 18th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $350.00 price target on shares of Snap-on in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Longbow Research raised Snap-on from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Snap-on from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Snap-on has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $350.83.

Snap-on Company Profile

Snap-on Incorporated manufactures and markets tools, equipment, diagnostics, and repair information and systems solutions for professional users worldwide. It operates through Commercial & Industrial Group, Snap-on Tools Group, Repair Systems & Information Group, and Financial Services segments.