Vontier (NYSE:VNT) Stock Price Down 5.4% - Should You Sell?

Vontier Corporation (NYSE:VNT - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 5.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $38.20 and last traded at $35.99. Approximately 653,639 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 29% from the average daily volume of 924,089 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VNT shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Vontier from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Vontier from $45.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Vontier from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vontier currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.83.

Vontier Trading Up 1.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $35.64 and a 200-day moving average of $35.35.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.06. Vontier had a return on equity of 41.99% and a net margin of 12.59%. The firm had revenue of $741.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $723.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. The company's revenue was down 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vontier Corporation will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vontier Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 5th were given a $0.025 dividend. This represents a $0.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 5th. Vontier's payout ratio is presently 4.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vontier

In related news, SVP Kathryn K. Rowen sold 7,344 shares of Vontier stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.34, for a total value of $266,880.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 88,248 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,206,932.32. This trade represents a 7.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vontier

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VNT. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Vontier by 17.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 458,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,935,000 after buying an additional 69,745 shares in the last quarter. Stanley Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vontier by 14.0% in the first quarter. Stanley Capital Management LLC now owns 536,000 shares of the company's stock worth $17,608,000 after acquiring an additional 66,000 shares during the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vontier in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $97,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vontier by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 583,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,170,000 after purchasing an additional 62,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Vontier by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 1,879,793 shares of the company's stock worth $61,751,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072,683 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.83% of the company's stock.

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.