Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT) Short Interest Down 13.1% in September

Vontier Co. (NYSE:VNT) saw a significant decline in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,250,000 shares, a decline of 13.1% from the August 31st total of 4,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 891,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days. Currently, 2.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Vontier Price Performance

VNT stock opened at $33.88 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.56. The stock has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.28. Vontier has a one year low of $28.84 and a one year high of $45.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

Vontier (NYSE:VNT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.71 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $696.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $746.43 million. Vontier had a net margin of 13.43% and a return on equity of 49.17%. Vontier’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Vontier will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vontier Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th were given a $0.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.30%. Vontier’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vontier

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Vontier by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 365,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,639,000 after buying an additional 1,274 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vontier in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $532,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Vontier by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 181,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,262,000 after purchasing an additional 65,590 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Vontier during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $402,000. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in Vontier by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 73,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,548,000 after purchasing an additional 5,396 shares during the period. 95.83% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Vontier from $50.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Vontier from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Argus downgraded shares of Vontier from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Vontier from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.25.

Vontier Company Profile

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.