2,650 Shares in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) Purchased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,650 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $496,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 11,862 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,220,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP grew its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 10,981 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,055,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Moore & CO. grew its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 4,720 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $883,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Avery Dennison Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of Avery Dennison stock traded up $3.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $181.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 763,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 613,434. Avery Dennison Co. has a 12 month low of $157.00 and a 12 month high of $233.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $174.02 and a 200 day moving average of $184.45. The company has a market capitalization of $14.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The industrial products company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.32 by ($0.02). Avery Dennison had a return on equity of 33.06% and a net margin of 8.05%. The business had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Avery Dennison Co. will post 9.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Avery Dennison Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This is an increase from Avery Dennison's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.07%. Avery Dennison's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AVY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avery Dennison from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Avery Dennison from $226.00 to $216.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Avery Dennison from $207.00 to $189.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Avery Dennison in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Avery Dennison from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Mitchell R. Butier sold 12,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.85, for a total transaction of $2,358,412.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 303,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,160,742.35. This trade represents a 4.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Avery Dennison Company Profile

Avery Dennison Corporation operates as a materials science and digital identification solutions company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, Latin, America, and internationally. It provides pressure-sensitive materials comprising papers, plastic films, metal foils, and fabrics; performance tapes products, including tapes for wire harnessing, as well as cable wrapping for automotive, electrical, and general industrial applications; mechanical fasteners, which are precision-extruded and injection-molded plastic devices used in various automotive, general industrial, and retail applications; and other pressure-sensitive adhesive-based materials and converted products under the Fasson, JAC, Yongle, and Avery Dennison brands.