Franklin Electric Co., Inc. $FELE Shares Sold by First Merchants Corp

Key Points

• First Merchants Corp reduced its Franklin Electric stake by 51.5% in the third quarter, selling 51,516 shares and retaining 48,484 shares valued at approximately $4.65 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.98% of FELE.
• Franklin Electric reported quarterly EPS of $1.55, surpassing the $1.44 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6% year over year to $622.88 million. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.50–$4.70.
• FELE shares opened at $100.69, and the company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.28, equivalent to a 1.1% annual yield. Analysts’ consensus rating remains Hold, with a consensus price target of $114.50.

First Merchants Corp lessened its stake in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) by 51.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 48,484 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 51,516 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp owned 0.11% of Franklin Electric worth $4,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Electric during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Franklin Electric in the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Franklin Electric by 66.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 555 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Franklin Electric in the second quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 843.3% in the second quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 632 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.98% of the company's stock.

Franklin Electric Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:FELE opened at $100.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.02. The stock has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.03. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.54 and a 1 year high of $115.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 2.41.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The industrial products company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $622.88 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $605.92 million. Franklin Electric had a return on equity of 15.18% and a net margin of 7.06%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. Franklin Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.500-4.700 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 6th were paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 6th. Franklin Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on FELE. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Franklin Electric in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Franklin Electric from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Franklin Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $114.50.

About Franklin Electric

Franklin Electric Co, Inc NASDAQ: FELE is a global manufacturer and distributor of systems and components used to move, manage and control water and other fluids. Founded in 1944 and headquartered in Bluffton, Indiana, the company originally focused on submersible electric motors and has expanded into a broader range of fluid-handling technologies.

Franklin Electric's Water Systems business supplies submersible pumps, motors, drives, controls, monitoring equipment and related products for residential, commercial, agricultural, municipal and industrial applications.

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