Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) Reaches New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Emerson Electric shares reached a new 52-week high of $150.27, with a last trading price of $149.73 and a volume of 142,185 shares.
• Analysts have overall rated the stock as a "Moderate Buy"** with an average target price of $142.28, reflecting positive sentiment from recent upgrades.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5275, representing an annualized yield of 1.44% and a dividend payout ratio of 50.48%.

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $150.27 and last traded at $149.73, with a volume of 142185 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $149.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on EMR. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Emerson Electric to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $118.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on Emerson Electric from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Emerson Electric currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $142.28.

Emerson Electric Stock Down 2.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $79.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.29. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $133.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.15.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 13.60% and a return on equity of 13.22%. The company had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.36 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 EPS for the current year.

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.5275 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Emerson Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Emerson Electric

In other news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 16,698 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.33, for a total value of $1,892,384.34. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 164,957 shares in the company, valued at $18,694,576.81. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Emerson Electric

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EMR. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 74.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 11,392 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,412,000 after purchasing an additional 4,850 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 208.2% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 299 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 15,145 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 213.5% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 632,614 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $78,400,000 after buying an additional 430,838 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.30% of the company's stock.

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.