Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. Sells 4,590 Shares of Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE:SNA)

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Snap-on Incorporated (NYSE:SNA – Get Rating) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,396 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,590 shares during the period. Snap-on accounts for 1.1% of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.’s holdings in Snap-on were worth $7,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Snap-on by 22.4% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 14,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,985,000 after acquiring an additional 2,657 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its holdings in Snap-on by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 7,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,469,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Snap-on by 11.3% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 125,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,727,000 after buying an additional 12,720 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its stake in Snap-on by 12.3% during the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 33,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,802,000 after buying an additional 3,636 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Snap-on during the first quarter worth approximately $302,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Roth Capital reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Snap-on in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Snap-on in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Snap-on from $253.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Snap-on from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 6th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $302.00 price objective (up previously from $298.00) on shares of Snap-on in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $250.25.

Insider Activity at Snap-on

In other Snap-on news, CEO Nicholas T. Pinchuk sold 22,800 shares of Snap-on stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.05, for a total transaction of $5,381,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 676,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $159,789,090.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Snap-on news, CEO Nicholas T. Pinchuk sold 22,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.05, for a total transaction of $5,381,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 676,929 shares in the company, valued at $159,789,090.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Aldo John Pagliari sold 7,030 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $251.90, for a total value of $1,770,857.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 80,511 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,280,720.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 41,744 shares of company stock worth $10,207,319 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Snap-on Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE SNA traded down $5.51 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $231.74. The stock had a trading volume of 897,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 299,284. The firm has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.10. Snap-on Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $190.08 and a fifty-two week high of $259.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 2.40. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $246.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.60.

Snap-on (NYSE:SNA – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $4.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. Snap-on had a return on equity of 20.83% and a net margin of 20.29%. The company’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.10 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Snap-on Incorporated will post 17.1 EPS for the current year.

Snap-on Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 22nd. Snap-on’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.50%.

Snap-on Company Profile

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Snap-On, Inc engages in the manufacture and marketing of tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information, and systems solutions for professional users performing critical tasks. Its products and services include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, handheld and PC-based diagnostic products, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions for vehicle dealerships and repair centers, as well as for customers in industries such as aviation and aerospace, agriculture, construction, government and military, mining, natural resources, power generation, and technical education.