Level Four Advisory Services LLC Reduces Stock Position in AGCO Co. (NYSE:AGCO)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC lessened its stake in AGCO Co. (NYSE:AGCO) by 26.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 53,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 19,415 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.07% of AGCO worth $4,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AGCO during the 4th quarter worth $57,321,000. Edge Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in AGCO during the fourth quarter worth about $39,269,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in AGCO by 83.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 630,098 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $58,902,000 after purchasing an additional 286,958 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of AGCO by 386.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 249,209 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,389,000 after buying an additional 198,014 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of AGCO by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 457,175 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $44,739,000 after buying an additional 183,688 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.80% of the company’s stock.

AGCO Price Performance

AGCO stock opened at $93.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. AGCO Co. has a 52-week low of $84.35 and a 52-week high of $125.76. The firm has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a PE ratio of -16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $98.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.89.

AGCO (NYSE:AGCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.04). AGCO had a negative net margin of 3.64% and a positive return on equity of 13.40%. On average, research analysts expect that AGCO Co. will post 4.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AGCO Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.24%. AGCO’s payout ratio is -20.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on AGCO. StockNews.com upgraded AGCO from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on AGCO from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AGCO from $102.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of AGCO from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Baird R W cut shares of AGCO from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AGCO currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $104.60.

About AGCO

AGCO Corporation manufactures and distributes agricultural equipment and related replacement parts worldwide. It offers horsepower tractors for row crop production, soil cultivation, planting, land leveling, seeding, and commercial hay operations; utility tractors for small- and medium-sized farms, as well as for dairy, livestock, orchards, and vineyards; and compact tractors for small farms, specialty agricultural industries, landscaping, equestrian, and residential uses.