KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Holdings in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. $FELE

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its stake in Franklin Electric by 43.4% in the first quarter, selling 41,638 shares and leaving it with 54,408 shares valued at about $5.0 million.
• Insider selling continued, with Delancey W. Davis and Jonathan M. Grandon both selling shares; insiders have sold 19,835 shares worth about $2.0 million over the past 90 days.
• Franklin Electric’s latest results were solid: it beat earnings and revenue expectations, and the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share, yielding about 1.1%.

KBC Group NV lowered its stake in shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) by 43.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,408 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 41,638 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned about 0.12% of Franklin Electric worth $5,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Franklin Electric during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Franklin Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Franklin Electric by 31.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Franklin Electric by 213.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Franklin Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.98% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Franklin Electric news, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 1,900 shares of Franklin Electric stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $190,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 10,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,040,200. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan M. Grandon sold 8,547 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.40, for a total value of $883,759.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,509 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $776,430.60. This trade represents a 53.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 19,835 shares of company stock valued at $2,004,982 over the last 90 days. 2.89% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on FELE. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Franklin Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Franklin Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Franklin Electric in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Franklin Electric currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.00.

Franklin Electric Trading Up 0.9%

Franklin Electric stock opened at $105.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $102.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.96. The company has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.03. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.54 and a 52 week high of $111.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.06. Franklin Electric had a net margin of 6.91% and a return on equity of 14.86%. The company had revenue of $500.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.21 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. Franklin Electric's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Franklin Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.58 EPS for the current year.

Franklin Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 7th were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 7th. Franklin Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.73%.

About Franklin Electric

Franklin Electric Co, Inc is a world‐leading manufacturer and distributor of systems and components for moving and managing water and fuel. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the company specializes in designing engineered pumping systems and related controls for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Founded in 1944, Franklin Electric has built its reputation on submersible and surface pumping solutions for water wells, municipal water and wastewater treatment, irrigation and industrial fluid handling.

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