Legal & General Group Plc Takes $5.60 Million Position in Vontier Corporation $VNT

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Vontier Corporation (NYSE:VNT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 193,220 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,603,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vontier by 21.6% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 776,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,546,000 after acquiring an additional 137,750 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Vontier by 1,950.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 73,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,742,000 after acquiring an additional 70,160 shares in the last quarter. ASO GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vontier during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,390,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Vontier by 14.2% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 307,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,899,000 after acquiring an additional 38,152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Vontier by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,803,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,774,000 after purchasing an additional 577,914 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.83% of the company’s stock.

Vontier Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VNT opened at $33.04 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.13. Vontier Corporation has a 52-week low of $27.25 and a 52-week high of $48.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $31.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.25.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.09. Vontier had a return on equity of 38.57% and a net margin of 11.34%.The firm had revenue of $756.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $747.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Vontier has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.450-3.550 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.820-0.860 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vontier Corporation will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Vontier announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 19th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 25.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Vontier Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $0.025 dividend. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Vontier’s dividend payout ratio is 4.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reduced their price target on Vontier from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Vontier from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $39.00 target price on Vontier in a report on Friday, August 7th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Vontier from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Argus lowered Vontier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Vontier Profile

Vontier is a global industrial technology company focused on advancing mobility infrastructure and transportation solutions. Established as a standalone public company in October 2020 through the spin-off of Fortive’s mobility and transportation platforms, Vontier is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company’s mission centers on delivering innovative products and services that help customers meet evolving demands in fuel retail, fleet management, and automotive service.

The company’s diversified portfolio spans several well-known brands.