L & S Advisors Inc Lowers Stock Holdings in Dover Co. (NYSE:DOV)

L & S Advisors Inc reduced its position in Dover Co. (NYSE:DOV) by 24.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11,143 shares during the quarter. L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings in Dover were worth $6,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Dover in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Dover during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Dover by 79.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 197 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC purchased a new position in Dover in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Dover in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 84.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Dover Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE DOV opened at $174.63 on Friday. Dover Co. has a 52-week low of $168.20 and a 52-week high of $222.31. The company has a market cap of $23.94 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $193.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.04.

Dover (NYSE:DOV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20. Dover had a return on equity of 21.03% and a net margin of 32.95%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Dover Co. will post 9.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dover Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Dover’s payout ratio is currently 10.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Dover from $213.00 to $205.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Dover from $217.00 to $211.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Dover from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Dover from $236.00 to $222.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Dover from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $218.18.

About Dover

Dover Corporation provides equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services worldwide. The company's Engineered Products segment provides various equipment, component, software, solution, and services that are used in vehicle aftermarket, waste handling, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, industrial winch and hoist, and fluid dispensing end-market.