James Investment Research Inc. Lowers Position in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY)

James Investment Research Inc. reduced its stake in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,179 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 390 shares during the quarter. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Avery Dennison were worth $3,776,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 142 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Regents Gate Capital LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Avery Dennison by 1,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 255 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Avery Dennison from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Avery Dennison from $228.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Avery Dennison from $252.00 to $247.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Avery Dennison from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Avery Dennison from $235.00 to $207.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Avery Dennison has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.15.

Avery Dennison Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE AVY opened at $181.76 on Friday. Avery Dennison Co. has a 52 week low of $178.72 and a 52 week high of $233.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $14.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.89.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.39 by ($0.01). Avery Dennison had a return on equity of 33.06% and a net margin of 8.05%. Research analysts anticipate that Avery Dennison Co. will post 9.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Avery Dennison Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Avery Dennison’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Nicholas Colisto sold 3,679 shares of Avery Dennison stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $757,874.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,126 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,467,956. This trade represents a 34.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Avery Dennison

Avery Dennison Corporation operates as a materials science and digital identification solutions company in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, Latin, America, and internationally. It provides pressure-sensitive materials comprising papers, plastic films, metal foils, and fabrics; performance tapes products, including tapes for wire harnessing, as well as cable wrapping for automotive, electrical, and general industrial applications; mechanical fasteners, which are precision-extruded and injection-molded plastic devices used in various automotive, general industrial, and retail applications; and other pressure-sensitive adhesive-based materials and converted products under the Fasson, JAC, Yongle, and Avery Dennison brands.