Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Purchases 37,138 Shares of Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,255,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 37,138 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Eaton were worth $748,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Eaton by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Westmount Partners LLC boosted its stake in Eaton by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 985 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Eaton by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Lantz Financial LLC increased its stake in Eaton by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Eaton by 2.1% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. 82.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eaton Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ETN opened at $278.94 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $324.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $332.49. Eaton Co. plc has a one year low of $255.65 and a one year high of $379.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.05.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.01. Eaton had a return on equity of 22.62% and a net margin of 15.25%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eaton Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from Eaton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Eaton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gregory R. Page sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.98, for a total transaction of $3,559,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 43,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,379,403.94. The trade was a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $348.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays lowered their price target on Eaton from $353.00 to $325.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Citigroup cut their price objective on Eaton from $440.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Eaton in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Eaton in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $364.65.

Eaton Company Profile

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.