ATS (NYSE:ATS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded ATS from “strong sell” to “hold,” while other analysts have also recently downgraded the stock. The overall consensus rating is “Hold,” with an average price target of $42.50.
• ATS opened at $18.68, near its 52-week low of $17.15 and well below its 52-week high of $35.82. The company has a market capitalization of approximately $1.81 billion.
• ATS missed quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.25 versus estimates of $0.28 and revenue of $488.38 million versus $509.71 million; revenue declined 5.8% year over year.

ATS (NYSE:ATS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Zacks reports.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on ATS. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of ATS from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ATS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, TD Securities cut shares of ATS from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $42.50.

ATS Price Performance

ATS opened at $18.68 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.95 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.95 and a 200 day moving average of $25.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.63. ATS has a fifty-two week low of $17.15 and a fifty-two week high of $35.82.

ATS (NYSE:ATS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $488.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $509.71 million. ATS had a return on equity of 8.96% and a net margin of 1.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that ATS will post 1.04 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of ATS in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of ATS in the second quarter valued at approximately $311,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of ATS by 2.6% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 16,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $461,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of ATS in the third quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in shares of ATS during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $713,000. Institutional investors own 75.84% of the company's stock.

About ATS

ATS Corporation is a Canadian automation solutions provider headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario. The company designs, builds and services automated manufacturing systems, production equipment and related technologies for manufacturers in a range of industries.

Its offerings include custom automation systems, assembly and test equipment, material-handling solutions, packaging systems, precision components and aftermarket services. ATS also provides automation software, controls, engineering, technical support and lifecycle services intended to improve production efficiency, quality and flexibility.

The company serves customers in sectors including life sciences, transportation, energy, consumer products and industrial manufacturing.

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