Mather Group LLC. Reduces Holdings in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY)

Mather Group LLC. reduced its holdings in shares of Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,068 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Avery Dennison were worth $387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 100.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 142 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 1,400.0% in the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 255 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison in the third quarter worth approximately $66,000. 94.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

Avery Dennison Trading Up 1.0 %

AVY stock opened at $184.54 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Avery Dennison Co. has a twelve month low of $179.20 and a twelve month high of $233.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $205.33.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by ($0.01). Avery Dennison had a return on equity of 33.06% and a net margin of 8.05%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Avery Dennison Co. will post 10.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Avery Dennison Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Avery Dennison’s payout ratio is 40.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Avery Dennison from $228.00 to $202.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Avery Dennison from $235.00 to $207.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Avery Dennison from $238.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Avery Dennison from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $208.00 price target (down previously from $218.00) on shares of Avery Dennison in a report on Friday, January 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.15.

Avery Dennison Profile

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.