Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Trims Holdings in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. decreased its position in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Free Report) by 30.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,910 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in EMR. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Emerson Electric in the fourth quarter worth $885,886,000. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 3,866.2% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 3,022,517 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $374,581,000 after buying an additional 2,946,310 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter worth about $297,947,000. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Emerson Electric by 136.3% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,316,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $411,944,000 after acquiring an additional 1,913,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Emerson Electric by 234.2% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,035,934 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $252,313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,718 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Emerson Electric

In other news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 16,698 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.33, for a total transaction of $1,892,384.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 164,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,694,576.81. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Emerson Electric Stock Performance

EMR stock traded down $1.27 on Friday, hitting $125.45. The company had a trading volume of 3,368,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,959,486. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Emerson Electric Co. has a 12-month low of $90.06 and a 12-month high of $134.85. The stock has a market cap of $70.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.28. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $112.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.32.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.42 billion. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 13.74%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $0.5275 per share. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Emerson Electric's payout ratio is currently 50.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Emerson Electric from $133.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on Emerson Electric from $112.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Emerson Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $121.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Two equities 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $136.47.

Emerson Electric 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.