Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Reduces Stock Holdings in Emerson Electric Co. $EMR

Key Points

• Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV reduced its holdings in Emerson Electric Co. by 6.7%, now owning 32,617 shares valued at approximately $3.58 million.
• A variety of institutional investors have recently modified their positions in Emerson Electric, with notable increases from Aberdeen Group plc, which raised its stake by 27.9% to hold 658,124 shares.
• Analysts are mixed on Emerson Electric's outlook with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $142.39, supported by recent upgrades from Barclays and KeyCorp.

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV cut its stake in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,617 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,334 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $3,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ethic Inc. grew its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 6.1% in the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 65,991 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $7,259,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in Emerson Electric by 27.9% during the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 658,124 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $71,436,000 after buying an additional 143,495 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in Emerson Electric by 2.8% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,102,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Emerson Electric by 15.8% during the first quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 67,265 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,375,000 after buying an additional 9,168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Emerson Electric during the first quarter worth about $2,095,000. 74.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Emerson Electric stock traded down $0.3370 on Tuesday, reaching $131.4930. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,713,926 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,171,366. The company has a market capitalization of $74.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.32. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $136.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.72. Emerson Electric Co. has a 52 week low of $90.06 and a 52 week high of $150.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.60 billion. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 14.92%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.5275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Emerson Electric's payout ratio is presently 45.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on EMR. TD Cowen upgraded Emerson Electric to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $113.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Emerson Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays upgraded Emerson Electric from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their target price for the company from $125.00 to $127.00 in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Emerson Electric from $146.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $142.39.

Emerson Electric Company 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.