Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its position in Avery Dennison Co. (NYSE:AVY) by 50.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,204 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,240 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Avery Dennison were worth $412,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AVY. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,681,709 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,811,738,000 after buying an additional 33,149 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Avery Dennison by 8.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,088,516 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $459,621,000 after acquiring an additional 157,754 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Avery Dennison during the 4th quarter worth $188,643,000. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Avery Dennison by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 926,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $173,385,000 after purchasing an additional 66,216 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Avery Dennison by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 764,591 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $143,078,000 after purchasing an additional 134,560 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Mitchell R. Butier sold 8,068 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $186.19, for a total transaction of $1,502,180.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 316,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,891,897. This represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Avery Dennison Price Performance

NYSE:AVY opened at $170.30 on Friday. Avery Dennison Co. has a 12-month low of $168.77 and a 12-month high of $233.48. The firm has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $181.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.38 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts expect that Avery Dennison Co. will post 9.96 EPS for the current year.

Avery Dennison Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Avery Dennison’s payout ratio is currently 40.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on AVY shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Avery Dennison from $235.00 to $207.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets set a $226.00 price objective on Avery Dennison in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $208.00 target price (down previously from $218.00) on shares of Avery Dennison in a report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target (down previously from $245.00) on shares of Avery Dennison in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Avery Dennison from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.51.

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.