WINTON GROUP Ltd Makes New Investment in Gentex Corporation $GNTX

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ:GNTX) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 256,478 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,258,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned about 0.12% of Gentex as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new position in Gentex during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Gentex in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in Gentex by 82.3% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,042 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Gentex during the 3rd quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, Steph & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Gentex by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 2,684 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 627 shares during the period. 86.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gentex Stock Down 1.9%

NASDAQ GNTX opened at $22.08 on Monday. Gentex Corporation has a 52 week low of $20.28 and a 52 week high of $29.38. The company has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.69 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $23.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.87.

Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The auto parts company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.01. Gentex had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 15.19%.The company had revenue of $644.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $650.90 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Gentex Corporation will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Gentex Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 8th will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 8th. Gentex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven R. Downing sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.75, for a total transaction of $866,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 211,670 shares in the company, valued at $5,238,832.50. This trade represents a 14.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CTO Neil Boehm sold 11,248 shares of Gentex stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.82, for a total transaction of $279,175.36. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 58,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,463,163.82. This trade represents a 16.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 58,133 shares of company stock worth $1,442,313 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group set a $25.00 price objective on Gentex in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Gentex in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gentex from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Robert W. Baird set a $26.00 price objective on shares of Gentex in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut their target price on shares of Gentex from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gentex presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.71.

About Gentex

Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: GNTX) is a global technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of automotive and aerospace products. The company’s primary business centers on automatic-dimming rearview mirrors, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and camera-based driver monitoring technologies. In the automotive sector, Gentex supplies exterior and interior mirrors with integrated electronics, connectivity features, and safety capabilities to many of the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).