Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.

EMR has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Emerson Electric in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Emerson Electric from $139.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Emerson Electric from $136.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Emerson Electric has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.58.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

EMR opened at $123.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $125.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $114.19. Emerson Electric has a 12-month low of $91.64 and a 12-month high of $134.85.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.5275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. This is a boost from Emerson Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Emerson Electric’s payout ratio is currently 61.70%.

Insider Transactions at Emerson Electric

In related news, SVP Michael H. Train sold 21,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.96, for a total transaction of $2,711,289.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 262,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,052,911.68. This trade represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Emerson Electric

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EMR. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Emerson Electric by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 18,428 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,016,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Unison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 0.5% in the third quarter. Unison Advisors LLC now owns 21,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,309,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in Emerson Electric by 2.0% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 4,950 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Emerson Electric by 5.5% in the second quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 1,930 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 5,380 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $593,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.