AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Fifteen brokerages give AMETEK a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with nine buys, five holds, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $256.29, above the reported $235.74 share price.
• AMETEK’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.97 versus the $1.90 consensus and revenue of $1.93 billion versus $1.91 billion expected. Revenue increased 11.3% year over year, while analysts forecast full-year EPS of $8.14.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.34 per share, equivalent to a $1.36 annualized payout and a 0.6% yield. Institutional investors own approximately 87.43% of AMETEK’s outstanding shares.

AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $256.2857.

AME has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of AMETEK from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Mizuho set a $270.00 price objective on AMETEK in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on AMETEK from $259.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $244.00 target price on AMETEK in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $265.00 price target on AMETEK in a research report on Thursday, June 18th.

AMETEK Trading Down 2.4%

AME stock opened at $235.74 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $54.03 billion, a PE ratio of 35.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.14. AMETEK has a one year low of $175.61 and a one year high of $244.71. The company's 50 day moving average price is $232.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.22.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.91 billion. AMETEK had a net margin of 20.11% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.75 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AMETEK will post 8.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. AMETEK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AMETEK

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AME. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AMETEK by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,974 shares of the technology company's stock worth $406,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of AMETEK by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,751 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,218,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AMETEK by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,254 shares of the technology company's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of AMETEK by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 850 shares of the technology company's stock worth $175,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of AMETEK by 18.3% in the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 323 shares of the technology company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 87.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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