The Goldman Sachs Group Begins Coverage on ATS (NYSE:ATS)

Research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of ATS (NYSE:ATS) in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a “sell” rating and a $34.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price target points to a potential downside of 4.95% from the stock’s previous close.

ATS has been the subject of several other reports. TheStreet raised shares of ATS from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Monday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of ATS in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company.

ATS Price Performance

NYSE ATS opened at $35.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.54 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. ATS has a 12 month low of $33.02 and a 12 month high of $48.89. The company’s 50 day moving average is $39.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.81.

ATS (NYSE:ATS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.50 by ($0.02). ATS had a return on equity of 17.56% and a net margin of 5.89%. The business had revenue of $552.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $536.95 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that ATS will post 1.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ATS

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of ATS by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of ATS by 4,342.1% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ATS in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of ATS in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of ATS in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $111,000. 75.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

ATS Company 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.