Becker Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Emerson Electric Co. $EMR

Becker Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 16.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 86,437 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 16,985 shares during the quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $11,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Emerson Electric during the second quarter worth $918,830,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 75.0% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,538,402 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,671,762,000 after buying an additional 5,371,585 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 51.6% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 6,346,398 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $846,165,000 after buying an additional 2,159,126 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Emerson Electric by 218.7% in the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,468,732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $270,672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,693,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Emerson Electric by 43.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,193,448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $692,442,000 after acquiring an additional 1,561,600 shares in the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Stock Performance

Emerson Electric stock opened at $137.15 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $77.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.26. Emerson Electric Co. has a 12 month low of $90.06 and a 12 month high of $150.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $132.04 and its 200-day moving average is $132.82.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 12.73% and a return on equity of 15.87%. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts anticipate that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Emerson Electric announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This represents a $2.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. This is a positive change from Emerson Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 7,263 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total transaction of $965,979.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,106,836. This represents a 3.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EMR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Emerson Electric from $155.00 to $153.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Emerson Electric from $151.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on Emerson Electric from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down from $150.00) on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.67.

Emerson Electric Company Profile

Emerson Electric Co, a technology and software company, provides various solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It operates in six segments: Final Control, Control Systems & Software, Measurement & Analytical, AspenTech, Discrete Automation, and Safety & Productivity.