8,216 Shares in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE) Acquired by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,216 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $801,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FELE. Spire Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Franklin Electric in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in shares of Franklin Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Franklin Electric by 66.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 497 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Franklin Electric by 189.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 642 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Franklin Electric by 150.2% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 79.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Electric

In other news, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 961 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $99,117.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $794,281.14. The trade was a 11.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.72% of the company's stock.

Franklin Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FELE traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $89.18. The company had a trading volume of 91,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 204,823. The company has a fifty day moving average of $91.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.17. The company has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.15, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.08. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.87 and a 12-month high of $111.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.06). Franklin Electric had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The business had revenue of $455.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $471.21 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. Franklin Electric's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Franklin Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 8th. Franklin Electric's payout ratio is 27.75%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Franklin Electric from $111.00 to $94.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Franklin Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Franklin Electric Company Profile

Franklin Electric Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and distributes water and fuel pumping systems worldwide. The company operates through Water Systems, Fueling Systems, and Distribution segments. The Water Systems segment offers submersible motors, drives, pumps, electronic controls, water treatment systems, monitoring devices, and related parts and equipment.