AMETEK, Inc. $AME Stake Lessened by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group slightly reduced its stake in AMETEK by 0.3% in Q4, selling 5,446 shares and retaining 2,037,583 shares (about 0.89%) valued at roughly $418.35 million.
• AMETEK beat quarterly estimates with $1.97 EPS (vs. $1.90) and $1.93B revenue (up 11.3% YoY) and issued FY2026 guidance of EPS 7.940–8.140 and Q2 guidance of 1.960–2.000.
• Analysts are broadly positive—MarketBeat shows an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a consensus target of $252.33—and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.34 (annualized $1.36, 0.6% yield).

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,037,583 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 5,446 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.89% of AMETEK worth $418,345,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of AMETEK by 3.1% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 268,096 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $50,402,000 after acquiring an additional 8,101 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AMETEK by 22.3% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 37,853 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $7,116,000 after acquiring an additional 6,911 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AMETEK during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,653,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of AMETEK by 246.0% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 92,175 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $17,344,000 after acquiring an additional 65,537 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of AMETEK by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 959,937 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $197,085,000 after acquiring an additional 94,544 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.43% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $265.00 price objective on shares of AMETEK in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of AMETEK in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of AMETEK from $259.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $275.00 price objective (up from $265.00) on shares of AMETEK in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AMETEK from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $252.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Thomas A. Amato sold 530 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total value of $114,893.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $971,174.40. This trade represents a 10.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.54% of the company's stock.

AMETEK Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AME opened at $230.27 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.78, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.03. AMETEK, Inc. has a 1-year low of $167.75 and a 1-year high of $242.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $225.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $213.21.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The technology company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.07. The firm 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 for the quarter was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.75 earnings per share. AMETEK has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.940-8.140 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.960-2.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that AMETEK, Inc. will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from AMETEK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. AMETEK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.25%.

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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