ING Groep NV Sells 4,427 Shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

ING Groep NV lowered its stake in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 71,518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,427 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $8,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 74.30% of the company’s stock.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Shares of EMR stock opened at $121.88 on Friday. Emerson Electric Co. has a 52-week low of $96.62 and a 52-week high of $134.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $125.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.51.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.5275 per share. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $147.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays raised their price target on Emerson Electric from $116.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Emerson Electric from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Emerson Electric currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.90.

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.