Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Grows Stake in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Free Report) by 149.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 109,221 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 65,488 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $13,536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in EMR. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Emerson Electric in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 74.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EMR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on Emerson Electric from $119.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $135.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $99.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Daiwa America raised Emerson Electric to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.88.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Shares of EMR traded down $1.02 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $120.45. 2,496,525 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,896,604. The company has a market cap of $67.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company's 50-day moving average price is $107.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.70. Emerson Electric Co. has a 52-week low of $90.06 and a 52-week high of $134.85.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.42 billion. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 13.74%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.36 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.5275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Emerson Electric's dividend payout ratio is 50.48%.

Insider Activity at Emerson Electric

In other news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 16,698 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 164,957 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.