AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) Short Interest Up 19.1% in December

AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,197,709 shares, a growth of 19.1% from the December 15th total of 2,684,353 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,371,334 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,371,334 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Thomas M. Montgomery sold 6,388 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.05, for a total transaction of $1,309,859.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 22,116 shares in the company, valued at $4,534,885.80. The trade was a 22.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO David A. Zapico sold 28,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.76, for a total value of $5,727,966.40. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 163,378 shares of company stock worth $32,471,654. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMETEK

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AME. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AMETEK in the second quarter valued at $650,613,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of AMETEK by 266.1% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,512,966 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $275,345,000 after buying an additional 1,099,748 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of AMETEK by 22.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,254,475 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $769,890,000 after buying an additional 775,078 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of AMETEK by 825.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 852,585 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $176,153,000 after buying an additional 760,410 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AMETEK by 35.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,645,977 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $497,444,000 after acquiring an additional 695,419 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.43% of the company’s stock.

AMETEK Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AME traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $215.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,318,561 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,032,650. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $202.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.33. AMETEK has a 1 year low of $145.02 and a 1 year high of $215.85. The company has a market cap of $49.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The technology company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. AMETEK had a return on equity of 16.66% and a net margin of 20.50%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. AMETEK has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.900-1.950 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.320-7.370 EPS. Research analysts expect that AMETEK will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. AMETEK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AME shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of AMETEK from $212.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on AMETEK from $198.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AMETEK from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of AMETEK from $219.00 to $229.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of AMETEK from $235.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $226.55.

AMETEK Company Profile

AMETEK, Inc is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices that serves a broad range of industries. Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, the company designs and produces precision instruments, electronic measurement devices, specialty sensors, and electric motors and motion control systems. Its product portfolio includes analytical and monitoring instruments, calibration equipment, power supplies, embedded electronics, and industrial motors and drives used for critical applications.

The company operates through two primary business platforms — an electronic instruments group focused on analytical, test and measurement and sensor products, and an electromechanical group that supplies motors, actuators, and related power and motion solutions.