Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) Shares Sold by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lowered its stake in Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK - Free Report) by 67.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,785 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 14,000 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Stanley Black & Decker were worth $666,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Oak Thistle LLC boosted its position in shares of Stanley Black & Decker by 96.9% during the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 11,078 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 5,453 shares in the last quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Stanley Black & Decker by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Monte Financial Group LLC now owns 57,492 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,640,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Essex Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Stanley Black & Decker in the fourth quarter worth about $269,000. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Stanley Black & Decker by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,743 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,525,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. Finally, Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Stanley Black & Decker by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. now owns 17,593 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,726,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. 87.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Stanley Black & Decker Stock Performance

SWK stock traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $96.22. 1,048,406 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,317,970. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.27 and a 12 month high of $104.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -45.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67.

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE:SWK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $3.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.84 billion. Stanley Black & Decker had a negative net margin of 1.97% and a positive return on equity of 2.34%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.10) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stanley Black & Decker Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Stanley Black & Decker's payout ratio is currently -155.77%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Stanley Black & Decker from $89.00 to $80.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $105.00 to $95.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Stanley Black & Decker from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $97.80.

Stanley Black & Decker Profile

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc provides hand tools, power tools, outdoor products, and related accessories in the United States, Canada, Other Americas, Europe, and Asia. Its Tools & Outdoor segment offers professional grade corded and cordless electric power tools and equipment, including drills, impact wrenches and drivers, grinders, saws, routers, and sanders; pneumatic tools and fasteners, such as nail guns, nails, staplers and staples, and concrete and masonry anchors; corded and cordless electric power tools; hand-held vacuums, paint tools, and cleaning appliances; leveling and layout tools, planes, hammers, demolition tools, clamps, vises, knives, saws, chisels, and industrial and automotive tools; drill, screwdriver, router bits, abrasives, saw blades, and threading products; tool boxes, sawhorses, medical cabinets, and engineered storage solutions; and electric and gas-powered lawn and garden products.