Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Gentex Co. (NASDAQ:GNTX)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $24.27 and last traded at $24.28, with a volume of 765983 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $24.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GNTX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Gentex from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and issued a $32.50 target price (down previously from $37.00) on shares of Gentex in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Gentex from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Gentex from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Gentex from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.06.

Gentex Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.14. The company has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.91.

Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The auto parts company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.10). Gentex had a net margin of 17.49% and a return on equity of 16.74%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Gentex Co. will post 2.04 EPS for the current year.

Gentex Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. Gentex’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.27%.

Institutional Trading of Gentex

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Gentex by 162.4% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,249,230 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $150,810,000 after purchasing an additional 3,248,434 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Gentex during the fourth quarter worth $51,959,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Gentex by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 18,023,056 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $517,802,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038,912 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Gentex in the 4th quarter valued at $24,479,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Gentex by 66.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,657,397 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $47,617,000 after purchasing an additional 664,389 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.76% of the company’s stock.

Gentex Company Profile

Gentex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and supplies digital vision, connected car, dimmable glass, and fire protection products in the United States, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, and internationally. It operates through Automotive Products and Other segments. The company offers automotive products, including interior and exterior electrochromic automatic-dimming rearview mirrors, automotive electronics, and non-automatic-dimming rearview mirrors for automotive passenger cars, light trucks, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans for original equipment manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and various aftermarket and accessory customers.