Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $102.20.

Several research firms recently issued reports on SWK. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $94.00 to $86.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $121.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Stanley Black & Decker from $135.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Stanley Black & Decker in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock.

Stanley Black & Decker Price Performance

NYSE:SWK opened at $58.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $9.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.14. Stanley Black & Decker has a 52 week low of $53.91 and a 52 week high of $110.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.50.

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.21. Stanley Black & Decker had a return on equity of 7.50% and a net margin of 1.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Stanley Black & Decker will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Stanley Black & Decker Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. Stanley Black & Decker’s payout ratio is 169.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Stanley Black & Decker

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SWK. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of Stanley Black & Decker during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Stanley Black & Decker in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Stanley Black & Decker by 107.2% in the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Stanley Black & Decker during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Stanley Black & Decker by 61.8% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 521 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc engages in the provision of power and hand tools, and related accessories, products, services and equipment for oil and gas, infrastructure applications, commercial electronic security and monitoring systems, healthcare solutions, and mechanical access solutions. It operates through the Tools and Outdoor and Industrial segments.