Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) Short Interest Update

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,080,000 shares, a growth of 29.1% from the April 30th total of 9,360,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,300,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.7 days. Currently, 2.2% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on EMR shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $133.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their target price on Emerson Electric from $104.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Emerson Electric from $113.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Emerson Electric from $158.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Emerson Electric

In related news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 16,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.33, for a total transaction of $1,892,384.34. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 164,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,694,576.81. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Emerson Electric

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EMR. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Emerson Electric in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new stake in Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Emerson Electric during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. 74.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Emerson Electric stock traded up $0.83 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $122.44. 2,823,455 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,114,682. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $109.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.66. The firm has a market cap of $68.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.26. Emerson Electric has a 1-year low of $90.06 and a 1-year high of $134.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.42 billion. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 13.74%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.36 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Emerson Electric will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.5275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Emerson Electric's payout ratio is currently 50.48%.

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.