Connors Investor Services Inc. Sells 42,790 Shares of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK)

Connors Investor Services Inc. lowered its stake in Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK - Free Report) by 39.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,653 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 42,790 shares during the quarter. Connors Investor Services Inc.'s holdings in Stanley Black & Decker were worth $5,271,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Stanley Black & Decker by 30.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 427,337 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,061,000 after acquiring an additional 100,894 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Stanley Black & Decker in the third quarter worth $229,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Stanley Black & Decker during the third quarter worth $602,000. Synovus Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Stanley Black & Decker in the 3rd quarter valued at $307,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Stanley Black & Decker by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 168,099 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $18,298,000 after buying an additional 18,776 shares during the period. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stanley Black & Decker Stock Up 4.2 %

Shares of NYSE SWK traded up $2.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.43. The company had a trading volume of 3,739,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,799,075. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.14. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.91 and a 1-year high of $110.88. The firm's 50 day moving average is $71.19 and its 200-day moving average is $82.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.07. Stanley Black & Decker had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The company had revenue of $3.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stanley Black & Decker Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 3rd. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.34%. Stanley Black & Decker's dividend payout ratio is currently 136.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SWK shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Stanley Black & Decker in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $103.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $121.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays dropped their price target on Stanley Black & Decker from $94.00 to $86.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Stanley Black & Decker from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Stanley Black & Decker presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $95.50.

Stanley Black & Decker Company Profile

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.