BNP Paribas Financial Markets Lowers Holdings in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its stake in shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) by 49.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,643 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 19,384 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Franklin Electric were worth $1,914,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 237.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 87,620 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $9,184,000 after acquiring an additional 61,640 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 9.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,111 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 914 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,305 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Franklin Electric in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.98% of the company's stock.

Franklin Electric Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of FELE stock traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $88.74. 145,662 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 206,320. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $78.87 and a 12 month high of $111.94. The company has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 2.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company's 50-day moving average price is $90.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.10.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.06). Franklin Electric had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The business had revenue of $455.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $471.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 8th. Franklin Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.75%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FELE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Franklin Electric from $111.00 to $94.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. StockNews.com raised Franklin Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 961 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total transaction of $99,117.54. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,701 shares in the company, valued at approximately $794,281.14. The trade was a 11.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.72% of the company's stock.

Franklin Electric Profile

Franklin Electric Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and distributes water and fuel pumping systems worldwide. The company operates through Water Systems, Fueling Systems, and Distribution segments. The Water Systems segment offers submersible motors, drives, pumps, electronic controls, water treatment systems, monitoring devices, and related parts and equipment.