UBS Group AG Sells 48,063 Shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. $FELE

Key Points

• UBS Group AG reduced its Franklin Electric stake by 35% in the fourth quarter, selling 48,063 shares and leaving it with 89,313 shares valued at about $8.53 million.
• Franklin Electric’s latest quarterly results topped expectations, with EPS of $0.83 versus $0.77 expected and revenue of $500.44 million, up 9.9% year over year.
• Wall Street remains cautious overall, with a consensus Hold rating and average price target of $106, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.28 per share.

UBS Group AG trimmed its position in shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) by 35.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,313 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 48,063 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.20% of Franklin Electric worth $8,532,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in Franklin Electric by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 69,988 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,686,000 after buying an additional 11,351 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in Franklin Electric by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 13,835 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,336,000 after buying an additional 2,662 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Franklin Electric by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 63,488 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,065,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Franklin Electric by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 10,843 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,036,000 after buying an additional 2,799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Franklin Electric by 213.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. 79.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FELE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Franklin Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Franklin Electric in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Franklin Electric

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Ruzynski acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $93.34 per share, for a total transaction of $46,670.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 22,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,120,871.48. This trade represents a 2.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan M. Grandon sold 4,988 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.02, for a total transaction of $498,899.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $751,050.18. This represents a 39.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.89% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Franklin Electric Price Performance

NASDAQ:FELE opened at $96.07 on Monday. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a one year low of $83.42 and a one year high of $111.53. The company has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $96.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $500.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.21 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The company'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. Equities analysts expect that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 7th. Franklin Electric's payout ratio is currently 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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