Short Interest in Vontier Corporation (NYSE:VNT) Increases By 885.5%

Key Points

• Short interest in Vontier Corporation increased by 885.5% in July, reaching a total of 2,860,000 shares sold short.
• Research analysts have revised their ratings and target prices for Vontier, with ratings indicating a general consensus of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price set at $46.33.
• Vontier's quarterly earnings surpassed estimates, reporting $0.79 earnings per share, which is an increase from $0.63 in the previous year.

Vontier Corporation (NYSE:VNT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,860,000 shares, anincreaseof885.5% from the June 30th total of 290,200 shares. Approximately2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 935,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 935,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately2.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Vontier from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vontier from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Vontier from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $45.00 price target (up from $37.00) on shares of Vontier in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Vontier in a report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vontier

In other news, SVP Kathryn K. Rowen sold 7,344 shares of Vontier stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.34, for a total value of $266,880.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 88,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,206,932.32. This trade represents a 7.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vontier

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Vontier by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 12,287 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Vontier by 0.8% during the first quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 37,000 shares of the company's stock worth $1,218,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Foundry Partners LLC raised its stake in Vontier by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 17,304 shares of the company's stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its position in shares of Vontier by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 9,287 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Vontier by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. 95.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vontier Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE VNT opened at $40.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $37.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.68. The stock has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.31. Vontier has a 52-week low of $27.22 and a 52-week high of $42.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.08.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $773.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.23 million. Vontier had a return on equity of 41.96% and a net margin of 12.99%. Vontier's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vontier will post 3.13 EPS for the current year.

Vontier Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 5th were paid a $0.025 dividend. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 5th. Vontier's payout ratio is currently 4.07%.

About Vontier

Vontier Corporation provides mobility ecosystem solutions worldwide. The company operates through Mobility Technologies, Repair Solutions, and Environmental and Fueling Solutions segments. The Mobility Technologies segment provides digitally equipment solutions for mobility ecosystem, such as point-of-sale and payment systems, workflow automation, telematics, data analytics, software platform, and integrated solutions for alternative fuel dispensing.

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