Vident Advisory LLC Makes New $355,000 Investment in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. $FELE

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC has made a new investment in Franklin Electric Co., Inc., acquiring 3,784 shares valued at approximately $355,000 during the first quarter.
• Franklin Electric reported an EPS of $1.31 for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and set its FY 2025 guidance between $3.950 and $4.250 EPS.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.265 per share, with a payout ratio of 27.39%, alongside a stock repurchase plan for 1,200,000 shares, indicating management's belief in the stock's undervaluation.

Vident Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,784 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $355,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in FELE. Humankind Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin Electric by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Humankind Investments LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Brucke Financial Inc. grew its position in Franklin Electric by 4.5% in the first quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 3,202 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Electric by 27.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 731 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 168.5% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 290 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Finally, Haven Private LLC raised its position in shares of Franklin Electric by 4.0% during the first quarter. Haven Private LLC now owns 5,006 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.98% of the company's stock.

Franklin Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FELE traded down $2.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $94.63. 141,977 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 191,546. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.87 and a 12-month high of $111.94. The stock has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.07. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $94.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.04.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $587.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $566.61 million. Franklin Electric had a net margin of 8.71% and a return on equity of 14.05%. Franklin Electric has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.950-4.250 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 7th were issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 7th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Franklin Electric's payout ratio is presently 27.39%.

Franklin Electric announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to repurchase 1,200,000 shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Franklin Electric from $94.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Franklin Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Franklin Electric presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $107.00.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Electric

In other news, insider Jonathan M. Grandon sold 10,036 shares of Franklin Electric stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.03, for a total value of $983,829.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,171 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $801,003.13. The trade was a 55.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Franklin Electric

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.