Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Emerson Electric from $117.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $136.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Stephens cut shares of Emerson Electric from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $120.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.58.

Emerson Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EMR opened at $123.44 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.09, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.35. Emerson Electric has a 52-week low of $91.64 and a 52-week high of $134.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.5275 per share. This is an increase from Emerson Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Michael H. Train sold 21,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.96, for a total value of $2,711,289.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 262,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,052,911.68. This represents a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Emerson Electric by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 25,810,167 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,822,858,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507,980 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Emerson Electric by 4.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 14,552,544 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,591,612,000 after purchasing an additional 581,102 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Emerson Electric by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,453,075 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,247,570,000 after buying an additional 162,985 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $574,908,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,510,496 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $496,877,000 after purchasing an additional 224,784 shares in the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Emerson Electric

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.