Argent Trust Co Invests $281,000 in Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK)

Key Points

• Argent Trust Co has acquired a new stake in Stanley Black & Decker, purchasing 3,654 shares valued at approximately $281,000 during the first quarter.
• Stanley Black & Decker recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.83, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.82, representing a 4.8% yield.
• The company reported earnings of $1.08 per share for the last quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' estimates, although revenue of $3.95 billion fell short of expectations.

Argent Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,654 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Stanley Black & Decker by 1,138.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 322 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new stake in Stanley Black & Decker during the first quarter worth about $31,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in Stanley Black & Decker by 830.4% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 428 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. CX Institutional acquired a new position in Stanley Black & Decker in the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of Stanley Black & Decker by 530.1% in the 1st quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 838 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the period. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Stanley Black & Decker Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of SWK stock traded up $0.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $69.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 946,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,628. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.34. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.91 and a 1-year high of $110.88. The company has a market capitalization of $10.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.16. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $68.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.64.

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.70. Stanley Black & Decker had a return on equity of 7.76% and a net margin of 3.15%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Stanley Black & Decker Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.83 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This is a positive change from Stanley Black & Decker's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Stanley Black & Decker's payout ratio is currently 105.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on SWK. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Stanley Black & Decker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Stanley Black & Decker from $65.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $90.00 to $89.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $120.00 to $100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $91.10.

Stanley Black & Decker Company Profile

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc engages in the provision of power and hand tools, and related accessories, products, services and equipment for oil and gas, infrastructure applications, commercial electronic security and monitoring systems, healthcare solutions, and mechanical access solutions. It operates through the Tools and Outdoor and Industrial segments.