JLB & Associates Inc. Lowers Holdings in AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME)

JLB & Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,024 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 1,653 shares during the quarter. AMETEK accounts for approximately 1.6% of JLB & Associates Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. JLB & Associates Inc.'s holdings in AMETEK were worth $11,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in AMETEK in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AMETEK in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in AMETEK in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its position in AMETEK by 15,950.0% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 321 shares of the technology company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in AMETEK by 188.1% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the technology company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.43% of the company's stock.

AMETEK Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AME traded up $2.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $177.58. 1,332,661 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,288,090. The company's 50 day moving average price is $172.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.82. The firm has a market cap of $41.00 billion, a PE ratio of 29.06, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.86. AMETEK, Inc. has a 52 week low of $145.02 and a 52 week high of $198.33.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The technology company reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. AMETEK had a return on equity of 16.75% and a net margin of 20.43%. The firm's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that AMETEK, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. AMETEK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.29%.

Insider Activity at AMETEK

In related news, Director Thomas A. Amato sold 710 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 10,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,865,318.40. The trade was a 6.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AME has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on AMETEK from $197.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on AMETEK from $194.00 to $201.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AMETEK in a research note on Monday, April 14th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $170.00 price target for the company. Mizuho set a $212.00 price target on AMETEK in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded AMETEK from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $197.89.

AMETEK Company Profile

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.