KBC Group NV Sells 26,098 Shares of AMETEK, Inc. $AME

KBC Group NV reduced its holdings in AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 255,987 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 26,098 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in AMETEK were worth $52,557,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of AMETEK by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,173,705 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,108,657,000 after buying an additional 176,040 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of AMETEK by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,763,684 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,835,573,000 after buying an additional 126,381 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of AMETEK by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,463,518 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $839,141,000 after buying an additional 209,043 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of AMETEK by 35.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,645,977 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $497,444,000 after buying an additional 695,419 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of AMETEK by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,436,237 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $458,013,000 after buying an additional 10,510 shares during the last quarter. 87.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AMETEK Price Performance

Shares of AME stock opened at $230.19 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $52.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.97, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $225.36 and its 200 day moving average is $209.41. AMETEK, Inc. has a twelve month low of $153.73 and a twelve month high of $242.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The technology company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. AMETEK had a return on equity of 16.55% and a net margin of 20.00%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. AMETEK has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.850-1.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.870-8.070 EPS. Research analysts expect that AMETEK, Inc. will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from AMETEK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. AMETEK’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.25%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AMETEK news, Director Thomas A. Amato sold 530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total value of $114,893.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $971,174.40. The trade was a 10.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.54% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on AME shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AMETEK in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AMETEK in a report on Friday, March 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial set a $265.00 price target on AMETEK in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Melius Research set a $235.00 price target on AMETEK in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AMETEK in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AMETEK presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.67.

About AMETEK

AMETEK, Inc is a global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices that serves a broad range of industries. Headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, the company designs and produces precision instruments, electronic measurement devices, specialty sensors, and electric motors and motion control systems. Its product portfolio includes analytical and monitoring instruments, calibration equipment, power supplies, embedded electronics, and industrial motors and drives used for critical applications.

The company operates through two primary business platforms — an electronic instruments group focused on analytical, test and measurement and sensor products, and an electromechanical group that supplies motors, actuators, and related power and motion solutions.