Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $83.24 and last traded at $84.21, with a volume of 309583 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $85.51.

Franklin Electric Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.22 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.02.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.03. Franklin Electric had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The company had revenue of $485.75 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $465.87 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.19 EPS for the current year.

Franklin Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 6th were issued a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 6th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. This is an increase from Franklin Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Franklin Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 961 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $99,117.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,701 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $794,281.14. This represents a 11.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in Franklin Electric by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 6,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. BHK Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Franklin Electric by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. BHK Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,139 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in Franklin Electric by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 31,879 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Franklin Electric by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 4,372 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Franklin Electric by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 4,739 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 79.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Franklin Electric Company Profile

Franklin Electric Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and distributes water and fuel pumping systems worldwide. The company operates through Water Systems, Fueling Systems, and Distribution segments. The Water Systems segment offers submersible motors, drives, pumps, electronic controls, water treatment systems, monitoring devices, and related parts and equipment.