AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE:AME) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,419,622 shares, a drop of 14.1% from the January 29th total of 2,816,191 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,700,464 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,700,464 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Thomas M. Montgomery sold 6,388 shares of AMETEK stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.05, for a total transaction of $1,309,859.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,534,885.80. This trade represents a 22.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO David A. Zapico sold 28,390 shares of AMETEK stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.76, for a total value of $5,727,966.40. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 49,088 shares of company stock valued at $9,930,020 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AMETEK

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AME. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of AMETEK by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 289,634 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $52,412,000 after purchasing an additional 9,063 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AMETEK by 4.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,043,029 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $384,096,000 after purchasing an additional 94,645 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in AMETEK by 22.3% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 37,853 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $7,116,000 after buying an additional 6,911 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in AMETEK by 246.0% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 92,175 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $17,344,000 after buying an additional 65,537 shares during the period. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in AMETEK during the 3rd quarter valued at $118,311,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.43% of the company’s stock.

AMETEK Stock Performance

Shares of AME stock traded down $1.98 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $233.27. 972,949 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,347,892. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $222.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $202.07. The company has a market cap of $53.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.02. AMETEK has a 12-month low of $145.02 and a 12-month high of $242.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

AMETEK (NYSE:AME) last issued its 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. AMETEK had a net margin of 20.00% and a return on equity of 16.55%. AMETEK’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. AMETEK has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.850-1.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.870-8.070 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AMETEK will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AMETEK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from AMETEK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. AMETEK’s payout ratio is presently 19.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Barclays increased their target price on AMETEK from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AMETEK in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of AMETEK in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. They set a “buy” rating and a $271.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of AMETEK in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $257.00 target price on shares of AMETEK in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.00.

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.