Cerity Partners LLC Buys 943 Shares of Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 111,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 943 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Eaton were worth $36,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Eaton by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its holdings in Eaton by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 985 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its stake in Eaton by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Eaton by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH boosted its position in shares of Eaton by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 1,639 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eaton Trading Up 2.5 %

ETN stock opened at $252.67 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $98.99 billion, a PE ratio of 26.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Eaton Co. plc has a 12 month low of $231.85 and a 12 month high of $379.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $295.28 and its 200 day moving average is $329.70.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $2.55 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.02 EPS for the current year.

Eaton Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $1.04 dividend. This is an increase from Eaton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Eaton’s payout ratio is presently 43.79%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on ETN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $348.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Eaton from $315.00 to $306.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Eaton from $335.00 to $305.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Melius downgraded Eaton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $373.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Eaton from $440.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $356.68.

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.