Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT - Free Report) by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 356,103 shares of the company's stock after selling 158,053 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.23% of Vontier worth $12,015,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VNT. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Vontier by 2,976.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,012 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new position in Vontier during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Vontier during the second quarter worth about $44,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Vontier by 32.0% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,245 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 786 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Vontier by 10.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,171 shares of the company's stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.83% of the company's stock.

Vontier Price Performance

Shares of VNT stock traded down $0.46 during trading on Monday, hitting $37.62. The company had a trading volume of 754,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 803,974. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10. Vontier Co. has a 52 week low of $31.22 and a 52 week high of $45.62. The stock's 50-day moving average is $34.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.25.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.04. Vontier had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 45.48%. The firm had revenue of $750.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $729.23 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Vontier Co. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vontier Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.025 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $0.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. Vontier's payout ratio is 3.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on VNT. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Vontier from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Vontier from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Argus downgraded shares of Vontier from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Vontier from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.50.

Vontier 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.