Swiss National Bank Has $7.49 Million Holdings in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE)

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 77,500 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 8,900 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.17% of Franklin Electric worth $7,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Franklin Electric by 35.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 541 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Franklin Electric by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,179 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $998,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Franklin Electric by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 4,548 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Franklin Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its position in Franklin Electric by 5.9% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 5,307 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Franklin Electric

In related news, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 2,214 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.06, for a total value of $225,960.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 8,014 shares in the company, valued at $817,908.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Franklin Electric news, CEO Gregg C. Sengstack sold 10,366 shares of Franklin Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.96, for a total transaction of $1,036,185.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 154,993 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,493,100.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 2,214 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.06, for a total transaction of $225,960.84. Following the sale, the insider now owns 8,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at $817,908.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Franklin Electric Price Performance

FELE stock traded down $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $101.67. 202,300 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 185,689. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.61 and a twelve month high of $107.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.85 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $102.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.96.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.04). Franklin Electric had a return on equity of 15.86% and a net margin of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $460.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $477.64 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Franklin Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 2nd will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 1st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.98%. Franklin Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Franklin Electric from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Franklin Electric from $91.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Franklin Electric from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Franklin Electric from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 9th.

Franklin Electric Profile

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.