Lazard Asset Management LLC Takes $73,000 Position in Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT)

Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vontier during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,371,000. J. Goldman & Co LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vontier during the 4th quarter valued at $17,478,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Vontier by 27.1% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 227,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,298,000 after acquiring an additional 48,562 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vontier by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 228,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,326,000 after acquiring an additional 21,003 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Vontier in the 4th quarter valued at $3,219,000. Institutional investors own 95.83% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Kathryn K. Rowen sold 7,344 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.34, for a total transaction of $266,880.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 88,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,206,932.32. This represents a 7.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Vontier Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of VNT opened at $35.29 on Monday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $32.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.82. The stock has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.29. Vontier Co. has a 12 month low of $27.22 and a 12 month high of $41.61.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $741.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $723.06 million. Vontier had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 43.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Vontier Co. will post 3.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vontier Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.025 per share. This represents a $0.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 5th. Vontier’s payout ratio is presently 4.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Vontier from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Vontier from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Vontier from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Vontier from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.83.

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.