Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for ADT (NYSE:ADT) Stock

ADT (NYSE:ADT) had its price target hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $8.50 to $9.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the security and automation business’ stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on ADT from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of ADT from $8.20 to $9.20 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

ADT Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE ADT opened at $7.20 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.81. ADT has a one year low of $6.02 and a one year high of $8.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $7.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.53 billion, a PE ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 1.49.

ADT (NYSE:ADT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The security and automation business reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.03. ADT had a net margin of 18.18% and a return on equity of 17.77%. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.07 EPS. ADT’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that ADT will post 0.7 earnings per share for the current year.

ADT Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.055 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. ADT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.91%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of ADT by 0.8% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 172,226 shares of the security and automation business’s stock worth $1,245,000 after acquiring an additional 1,343 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of ADT by 10.8% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 21,745 shares of the security and automation business’s stock worth $164,000 after acquiring an additional 2,112 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of ADT by 10.1% during the third quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 27,643 shares of the security and automation business’s stock valued at $200,000 after buying an additional 2,542 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of ADT by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 26,674 shares of the security and automation business’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 3,054 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in ADT by 19.2% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 20,546 shares of the security and automation business’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 3,311 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.22% of the company’s stock.

ADT Company Profile

ADT Inc provides security, interactive, and smart home solutions to residential and small business customers in the United States. It operates through two segments, Consumer and Small Business, and Solar. The company provides burglar and life safety alarms, smart security cameras, smart home automation systems, and video surveillance systems.