Vontier (NYSE:VNT) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $40.32, but opened at $38.55. Vontier shares last traded at $38.22, with a volume of 908,712 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VNT. Barclays boosted their target price on Vontier from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Vontier from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Wolfe Research raised Vontier from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Vontier from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Vontier in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $47.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.88.

Vontier Stock Down 4.3 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.73 and a 200-day moving average of $36.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.26.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.01. Vontier had a return on equity of 43.22% and a net margin of 14.17%. The business had revenue of $776.80 million for 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.025 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $0.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. Vontier’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vontier by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,323,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,208,000 after buying an additional 173,542 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Vontier by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,666,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,260,000 after acquiring an additional 75,775 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vontier by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,571,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,776,000 after acquiring an additional 18,091 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vontier by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,515,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,740,000 after purchasing an additional 96,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vontier by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 2,502,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $91,253,000 after purchasing an additional 145,574 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.83% of the company’s stock.

About Vontier

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.