ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) Position Boosted by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in ATS Co. (NYSE:ATS) by 77.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 639,540 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 279,880 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.65% of ATS worth $20,691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ATS. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in ATS by 18.9% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,336,811 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,530,000 after buying an additional 1,325,247 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in ATS during the 4th quarter valued at $40,685,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. boosted its stake in ATS by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. now owns 3,560,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,863,000 after purchasing an additional 909,149 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in ATS by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,470,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,690,000 after purchasing an additional 360,719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in ATS during the 2nd quarter valued at $11,602,000. 75.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ATS Price Performance

ATS opened at $25.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.71 and a 200-day moving average of $32.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71 and a beta of 1.18. ATS Co. has a 12-month low of $25.61 and a 12-month high of $45.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

ATS (NYSE:ATS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.01). ATS had a net margin of 6.11% and a return on equity of 14.63%. The business had revenue of $507.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $502.41 million. Equities analysts forecast that ATS Co. will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on ATS shares. Scotiabank raised ATS to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on ATS from $36.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, ATS currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.