Welch & Forbes LLC Reduces Stock Position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Welch & Forbes LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR - Free Report) by 2.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 120,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,578 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $13,255,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of EMR. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Vega Investment Solutions acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Emerson Electric during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Emerson Electric by 145.3% in the 1st quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC now owns 260 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.30% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 16,698 shares of Emerson Electric stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.33, for a total value of $1,892,384.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 164,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,694,576.81. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Emerson Electric Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of EMR stock traded up $0.57 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $140.26. The company had a trading volume of 3,252,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,007,218. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.14. Emerson Electric Co. has a 12 month low of $90.06 and a 12 month high of $142.32. The company has a market cap of $78.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.29.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.42 billion. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 13.60% and a return on equity of 13.22%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.36 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.5275 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Emerson Electric's payout ratio is currently 50.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EMR has been the topic of several research reports. 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 note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $146.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Emerson Electric from $118.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Emerson Electric currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $142.28.

Emerson Electric 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.