Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on EMR. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Emerson Electric from $123.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Emerson Electric from $135.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup increased their target price on Emerson Electric from $119.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded Emerson Electric to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.88.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Emerson Electric stock traded up $3.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $122.41. 2,462,979 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,152,697. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business has a fifty day moving average of $106.86 and a 200 day moving average of $118.67. Emerson Electric has a 1-year low of $90.06 and a 1-year high of $134.85. The company has a market capitalization of $68.86 billion, a PE ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.26.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 13.74%. The firm 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 company posted $1.36 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Emerson Electric will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.5275 per share. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Emerson Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 16,698 shares of Emerson Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 164,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,694,576.81. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Emerson Electric

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Emerson Electric by 2.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 812,976 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $88,915,000 after acquiring an additional 23,205 shares during the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its stake in Emerson Electric by 84.4% in the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 5,891 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $730,000 after acquiring an additional 2,696 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Emerson Electric by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 354,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,875,000 after acquiring an additional 983 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Emerson Electric by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 16,042 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,988,000 after acquiring an additional 948 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI acquired a new position in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $209,000. 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.