United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Takes $374,000 Position in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY)

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund bought a new position in shares of Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 2,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $374,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AVY. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,681,709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,811,738,000 after buying an additional 33,149 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Avery Dennison by 8.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,088,516 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $459,621,000 after acquiring an additional 157,754 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 926,506 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $173,385,000 after purchasing an additional 66,216 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Avery Dennison by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 764,591 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $143,078,000 after purchasing an additional 134,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 699,091 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $130,821,000 after purchasing an additional 10,674 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Avery Dennison Stock Up 1.3 %

Avery Dennison stock opened at $178.05 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock's fifty day moving average is $183.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.14. Avery Dennison Co. has a fifty-two week low of $173.02 and a fifty-two week high of $233.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that Avery Dennison Co. will post 9.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Avery Dennison Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. Avery Dennison's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.37%.

Insider Activity at Avery Dennison

In related news, Chairman Mitchell R. Butier sold 8,068 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $186.19, for a total value of $1,502,180.92. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 316,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $58,891,897. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AVY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Avery Dennison from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets set a $226.00 price objective on shares of Avery Dennison in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Avery Dennison from $228.00 to $202.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $208.00 price target (down previously from $218.00) on shares of Avery Dennison in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Avery Dennison from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.