Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes $21.24 Million Position in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 113,508 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $21,241,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.14% of Avery Dennison as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 11,862 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,220,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 10,981 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,055,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smith Moore & CO. boosted its holdings in Avery Dennison by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 4,720 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $883,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.17% of the company's stock.

Avery Dennison Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of Avery Dennison stock traded down $1.97 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $177.68. 1,306,679 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 616,775. Avery Dennison Co. has a 52-week low of $157.00 and a 52-week high of $233.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a fifty day moving average of $174.19 and a 200-day moving average of $184.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

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

Avery Dennison Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. This is an increase from Avery Dennison's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. Avery Dennison's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Avery Dennison in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $175.00 price target for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Avery Dennison from $225.00 to $210.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Avery Dennison from $226.00 to $216.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James lowered their price target on Avery Dennison from $208.00 to $194.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Avery Dennison from $207.00 to $189.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Avery Dennison presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $206.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Avery Dennison

In other news, Chairman Mitchell R. Butier sold 12,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chairman now owns 303,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,160,742.35. This represents a 4.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Avery Dennison 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.