Ashford Capital Management Inc. Increases Stake in UFP Technologies, Inc. $UFPT

Key Points

• Ashford Capital Management increased its stake in UFP Technologies by 27.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holding to 96,660 shares valued at about $21.5 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own 87.28% of UFP Technologies' stock, signaling strong institutional interest.
• UFP Technologies recently beat earnings expectations with EPS of $2.48 versus estimates of $2.18, while Wall Street’s consensus rating remains Hold with an average target price of $289.

Ashford Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in UFP Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPT - Free Report) by 27.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 96,660 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 21,050 shares during the quarter. UFP Technologies accounts for approximately 2.4% of Ashford Capital Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Ashford Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 1.25% of UFP Technologies worth $21,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in shares of UFP Technologies by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 14,585 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,238,000 after acquiring an additional 1,865 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of UFP Technologies by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 11,735 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,606,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of UFP Technologies by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,316 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of UFP Technologies by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 10,271 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,280,000 after acquiring an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of UFP Technologies by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 17,083 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,793,000 after acquiring an additional 3,615 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of UFP Technologies in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Wall Street Zen raised UFP Technologies from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $289.00.

UFP Technologies Trading Down 0.6%

UFPT opened at $232.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business's 50 day moving average is $214.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.47. UFP Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $173.86 and a 52 week high of $274.93.

UFP Technologies (NASDAQ:UFPT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The industrial products company reported $2.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.30. UFP Technologies had a return on equity of 18.47% and a net margin of 11.27%.The business had revenue of $154.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $154.78 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.47 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that UFP Technologies, Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cynthia L. Feldmann sold 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.29, for a total value of $287,148.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,476 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,310,352.04. The trade was a 17.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel C. Croteau sold 2,864 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.71, for a total value of $634,977.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 855 shares of the company's stock, valued at $189,562.05. The trade was a 77.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 4.59% of the company's stock.

UFP Technologies Company Profile

UFP Technologies, Inc NASDAQ: UFPT is a global designer and manufacturer of custom-engineered products using plastics, foams and adhesives. The company partners with customers to develop application-specific solutions through a range of in-house processes, including foam fabrication, die cutting, sheet processing, lamination, machining and assembly services. Its components find use in industries requiring precise material properties, such as medical devices, aerospace, defense, electronics and transportation.

Building on its origins as a specialty foam converter, UFP Technologies has expanded its capabilities to include advanced material technologies, such as thermal management and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding solutions.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UFPT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for UFP Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.