KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires New Position in Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 31,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,145,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Vontier by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 238,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,702,000 after buying an additional 34,996 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Vontier by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 39,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Vontier in the fourth quarter worth approximately $528,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Vontier by 81.5% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 72,960 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,661,000 after buying an additional 32,764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of Vontier by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 17,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. 95.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vontier Stock Performance

Shares of Vontier stock traded down $3.24 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $30.42. 1,202,851 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 846,289. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $36.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.37. Vontier Co. has a one year low of $30.17 and a one year high of $44.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.28.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.01. Vontier had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 43.22%. The company had revenue of $776.80 million during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vontier Co. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vontier Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 6th were issued a $0.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. Vontier's dividend payout ratio is currently 3.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Vontier Company Profile

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.