Vest Financial LLC Acquires 150,778 Shares of Veralto Corporation $VLTO

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC boosted its Veralto stake by 116.6%, buying 150,778 shares to own 280,112 shares (about 0.11% of the company), valued at roughly $27.95 million at quarter-end.
• Strong Q1 and raised guidance: Veralto reported $1.07 EPS (vs. $1.02 consensus) and ~$1.42B revenue, raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.20–$4.28, and highlighted ~$300M of buybacks plus cost‑savings initiatives to support cash returns.
• Mixed near-term signals: Q2 EPS guidance of $0.96–1.00 is slightly below consensus, there have been recent insider sales and institutional rebalancing, and the stock is trading below its 200‑day moving average (opened at $85.58; 200‑day SMA $96.60).

Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Veralto Corporation (NYSE:VLTO - Free Report) by 116.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 280,112 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 150,778 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.11% of Veralto worth $27,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Veralto during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Veralto in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Veralto in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Veralto by 852.9% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 324 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Veralto by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 340 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on VLTO. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Veralto from $102.00 to $99.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Veralto from $118.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $117.00 price target on shares of Veralto in a report on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Veralto in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $108.00 target price on shares of Veralto in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.56.

Trending Headlines about Veralto

Here are the key news stories impacting Veralto this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and healthy margins — Veralto reported adjusted EPS of $1.07 vs. consensus $1.02 and revenue of ~$1.42B (up ~6.7–6.8% y/y). The quarter showed a strong adjusted operating margin (25.1% in company disclosure) and a net margin of ~17.1%, reinforcing profitability. Veralto (VLTO) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Raised full‑year guidance and cash priorities — Management raised FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $4.20–$4.28 (from $4.10–$4.20 previously), increased its FCF conversion target to ~100% of GAAP net earnings, and detailed a cost-optimization program ($65–$75M run-rate savings by 2028) plus ~$300M of year-to-date buybacks and acquisition activity. Those items support valuation and cash-return expectations. Veralto jumps after Q1 results and higher full-year EPS outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed near-term guide — Veralto set Q2 EPS guidance of $0.960–1.000, slightly below the consensus (~$1.02). That soft quarterly call tempers the upside from the FY raise and suggests timing risk around execution and seasonality. Veralto (VLTO) MarketBeat summary
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional flows — Public filings and data show recent insider sales (multiple insider dispositions in the past six months) and notable institutional rebalancing among large holders. These actions can weigh on sentiment if they persist. Veralto jumps after Q1 results and higher full-year EPS outlook

Veralto Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of Veralto stock opened at $85.58 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Veralto Corporation has a 12-month low of $84.99 and a 12-month high of $110.11. The company has a market cap of $21.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.82, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.98. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $90.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.60.

Veralto (NYSE:VLTO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.05. Veralto had a net margin of 17.08% and a return on equity of 35.77%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Veralto has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.280 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.960-1.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Veralto Corporation will post 4.21 EPS for the current year.

Veralto Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Veralto's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.87%.

About Veralto

Veralto Corporation provides water analytics, water treatment, marking and coding, and packaging and color services worldwide. It operates through two segments, Water Quality (WQ) and Product Quality & Innovation (PQI). The WQ segment offers precision instrumentation and water treatment technologies to measure, analyze, and treat water in residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, research, and natural resource applications through the Hach, Trojan Technologies, and ChemTreat brands. This segment provides water solutions, including chemical reagents, services, and digital solutions.

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.