Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) Stock Holdings Lifted by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,003 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,673 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Analog Devices were worth $23,583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Analog Devices during the 4th quarter valued at $833,386,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Analog Devices by 22,005.0% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,073,252 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $652,943,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059,349 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Analog Devices by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 9,176,877 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,169,689,000 after acquiring an additional 1,189,940 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of Analog Devices by 807.5% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 959,686 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $220,891,000 after acquiring an additional 853,931 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Analog Devices by 336.4% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,068,572 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $245,953,000 after acquiring an additional 823,709 shares in the last quarter. 86.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analog Devices Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ADI opened at $216.26 on Tuesday. Analog Devices, Inc. has a 12-month low of $182.57 and a 12-month high of $247.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.26 billion, a PE ratio of 68.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $218.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.13.

Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The semiconductor company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.09. Analog Devices had a net margin of 16.75% and a return on equity of 8.91%. The firm had revenue of $2.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.73 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Analog Devices, Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analog Devices Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This is a positive change from Analog Devices’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.92. Analog Devices’s dividend payout ratio is 126.11%.

Analog Devices announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 18th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 9.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ADI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Maxim Group initiated coverage on shares of Analog Devices in a report on Friday, February 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Analog Devices from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Analog Devices in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Analog Devices from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Analog Devices from $245.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Analog Devices news, CEO Vincent Roche sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.49, for a total transaction of $2,154,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 21,983 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,737,116.67. This represents a 31.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analog Devices Profile

Analog Devices, Inc designs, manufactures, tests, and markets integrated circuits (ICs), software, and subsystems products in the United States, rest of North and South America, Europe, Japan, China, and rest of Asia. The company provides data converter products, which translate real-world analog signals into digital data, as well as translates digital data into analog signals; power management and reference products for power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing, and energy management applications in the automotive, communications, industrial, and consumer markets; and power ICs that include performance, integration, and software design simulation tools for accurate power supply designs.