ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its stake in ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,264,654 shares of the company’s stock after selling 319,596 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in ATS were worth $40,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in ATS by 91.5% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in ATS by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140 shares during the period. Steph & Co. increased its position in ATS by 133.6% in the 1st quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 6,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 3,554 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in ATS during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $286,000. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in ATS during the 1st quarter worth approximately $337,000. 75.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ATS Stock Up 1.4 %

ATS stock opened at $29.57 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.92. The company has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 1.51. ATS Co. has a 1-year low of $24.82 and a 1-year high of $44.70.

ATS (NYSE:ATS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). ATS had a return on equity of 14.63% and a net margin of 6.11%. The company had revenue of $507.43 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $502.41 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that ATS Co. will post 1.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ATS has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on ATS from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of ATS from $36.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, ATS presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.00.

ATS Profile

ATS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides automation solutions worldwide. The company is also involved in planning, designing, building, commissioning, and servicing automated manufacturing and assembly systems, including automation products and test solutions. In addition, it offers pre-automation services comprising discovery and analysis, concept development, simulation, and total cost of ownership modelling; post automation services, including training, process optimization, preventative maintenance, emergency and on-call support, spare parts, retooling, retrofits, and equipment relocation; and contract manufacturing services, as well as after sales and services.