Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) Shares Acquired by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY - Free Report) by 17.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,814 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 2,838 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Avery Dennison were worth $3,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Empirical Finance LLC raised its stake in Avery Dennison by 2.0% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,822 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $623,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in Avery Dennison by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $253,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings in Avery Dennison by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 367 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC lifted its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 10,266 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,266,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,712 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. 94.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Avery Dennison

In related news, Chairman Mitchell R. Butier sold 12,969 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.85, for a total transaction of $2,358,412.65. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 303,331 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,160,742.35. This trade represents a 4.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Avery Dennison Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of AVY traded up $3.02 on Friday, reaching $178.91. 420,100 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 506,248. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $14.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $185.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $199.91. Avery Dennison Co. has a 12 month low of $174.91 and a 12 month high of $233.48.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.39 by ($0.01). Avery Dennison had a return on equity of 33.06% and a net margin of 8.05%. Research analysts anticipate that Avery Dennison Co. will post 9.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Avery Dennison Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Avery Dennison's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AVY. Citigroup cut their price objective on Avery Dennison from $228.00 to $202.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Avery Dennison in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Avery Dennison from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Avery Dennison from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $210.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $222.51.

Avery Dennison Profile

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.