Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Takes Position in AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. acquired a new position in AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,349 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $964,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AME. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AMETEK during the 4th quarter valued at $697,080,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of AMETEK by 70.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,760,017 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,038,301,000 after purchasing an additional 2,371,062 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in AMETEK by 240.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,125,068 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $202,805,000 after purchasing an additional 794,473 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AMETEK by 72.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,680,309 shares of the technology company's stock worth $288,526,000 after buying an additional 703,501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in AMETEK by 10,506.5% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 476,442 shares of the technology company's stock worth $812,000 after acquiring an additional 471,950 shares during the period. 87.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AMETEK

In related news, Director Steven W. Kohlhagen sold 1,320 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.41, for a total value of $250,021.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 22,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,172,512.89. This represents a 5.65 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Thomas A. Amato sold 710 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.64, for a total value of $125,414.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,865,318.40. The trade was a 6.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AMETEK Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AME traded up $1.48 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $169.28. 1,654,590 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,298,603. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.24. AMETEK, Inc. has a one year low of $145.02 and a one year high of $198.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $171.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.45.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.02. AMETEK had a return on equity of 16.94% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.68 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AMETEK, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Friday, February 7th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.25 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to buy up to 2.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

AMETEK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is an increase from AMETEK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. AMETEK's payout ratio is presently 20.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on AME. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of AMETEK from $200.00 to $197.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BNP Paribas upgraded AMETEK from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on AMETEK from $216.00 to $196.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AMETEK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AMETEK in a report on Monday, April 14th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AMETEK currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $198.60.

About AMETEK

AMETEK, Inc manufactures and sells electronic instruments and electromechanical devices in the North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, and internationally. The company's EIG segment offers advanced instruments for the process, aerospace, power, and industrial markets; process and analytical instruments for the oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, automation, and food and beverage industries; instruments to the laboratory equipment, ultra-precision manufacturing, medical, and test and measurement markets; power quality monitoring and c devices, uninterruptible power supplies, programmable power and electromagnetic compatibility test equipment, and sensors for gas turbines and dashboard instruments; heavy trucks, instrumentation, and controls for the food and beverage industries; and aircraft and engine sensors, power supplies, embedded computing, monitoring, fuel and fluid measurement, and data acquisition systems for aerospace and defense industry.