Van ECK Associates Corp Has $8.79 Million Stock Position in Gentex Co. (NASDAQ:GNTX)

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its holdings in Gentex Co. (NASDAQ:GNTX) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 305,941 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 3,727 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Gentex were worth $8,790,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GNTX. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Gentex during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its position in Gentex by 32.5% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 2,419 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Gentex in the 3rd quarter worth $125,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Gentex by 159.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,133 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 3,152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Gentex by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,664 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $168,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.76% of the company’s stock.

Gentex Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GNTX opened at $24.48 on Monday. Gentex Co. has a 52-week low of $24.35 and a 52-week high of $37.58. The company has a market capitalization of $5.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.23.

Gentex (NASDAQ:GNTX) last released 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 last year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Gentex Co. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Gentex Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 8th were issued a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 8th. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Gentex’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on GNTX shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Gentex from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Gentex from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $32.50 target price (down previously from $37.00) on shares of Gentex in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Gentex from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Gentex from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.06.

Gentex 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.