Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 120,633 Shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Free Report) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 607,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 120,633 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of Emerson Electric worth $75,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $885,886,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the fourth quarter valued at about $297,947,000. Boston Partners increased its position in Emerson Electric by 136.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,316,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $411,944,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913,120 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 234.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,035,934 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $252,313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its position in Emerson Electric by 120.6% during the fourth quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 1,766,230 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $218,889,000 after acquiring an additional 965,731 shares during the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Emerson Electric stock traded up $3.70 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $104.77. 1,484,710 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,923,583. The stock has a market cap of $59.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.54. Emerson Electric Co. has a one year low of $90.06 and a one year high of $134.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $110.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.72.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 13.74% and a return on equity of 12.08%. On average, equities analysts predict that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a dividend of $0.5275 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. Emerson Electric's payout ratio is currently 50.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on EMR. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Emerson Electric from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $158.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Daiwa America upgraded Emerson Electric to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $147.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.67.

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.