Guardian Partners Inc. Acquires New Position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 130,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,735,000. Emerson Electric comprises about 1.6% of Guardian Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.30% of the company’s stock.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

EMR stock opened at $112.92 on Friday. Emerson Electric Co. has a one year low of $96.62 and a one year high of $134.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $121.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.14. 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 company has a market capitalization of $63.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.36.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.10. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 13.74% and a return on equity of 12.08%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.5275 dividend. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $147.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $137.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays downgraded shares of Emerson Electric from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $135.00 to $110.00 in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Emerson Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.22.

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.