Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) Shares Sold by Howland Capital Management LLC

Howland Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,810 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 671 shares during the period. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Eaton were worth $5,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ETN. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in Eaton by 83.2% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 9,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,298 shares during the period. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN boosted its stake in Eaton by 321.7% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN now owns 97 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Eaton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. DT Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Eaton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Eaton during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. 82.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eaton Stock Performance

Shares of ETN opened at $313.11 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $343.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $331.01. Eaton Co. plc has a 52 week low of $255.65 and a 52 week high of $379.99. The company has a market capitalization of $123.74 billion, a PE ratio of 32.96, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.50.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.01. Eaton had a net margin of 15.25% and a return on equity of 22.62%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on ETN shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $335.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $348.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Eaton in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $431.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eaton in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $382.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Eaton from $320.00 to $353.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $369.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eaton news, Director Gregory R. Page sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.98, for a total value of $3,559,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 43,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,379,403.94. The trade was a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Ernest W. Marshall, Jr. sold 1,412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.58, for a total transaction of $534,554.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 31,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,811,696. This represents a 4.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

About Eaton

Eaton Corporation plc operates as a power management company worldwide. The company’s Electrical Americas and Electrical Global segment provides electrical components, industrial components, power distribution and assemblies, residential products, single and three phase power quality and connectivity products, wiring devices, circuit protection products, utility power distribution products, power reliability equipment, and services, as well as hazardous duty electrical equipment, emergency lighting, fire detection, explosion-proof instrumentation, and structural support systems.