Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Has $1.75 Million Stake in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,119 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,147 shares during the quarter. Emerson Electric accounts for about 1.0% of Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $1,750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Alliance bought a new position in Emerson Electric during the 2nd quarter valued at $212,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 30.2% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 23,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,608,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Emerson Electric by 9.3% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,555 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $722,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in Emerson Electric by 22.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 26,287 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,896,000 after purchasing an additional 4,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Emerson Electric by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 31,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,420,000 after buying an additional 3,715 shares during the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE EMR opened at $124.65 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.22. Emerson Electric Co. has a 52 week low of $91.64 and a 52 week high of $134.85. The company has a market cap of $70.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a dividend of $0.5275 per share. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This is a positive change from Emerson Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 61.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on EMR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Emerson Electric from $137.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group assumed coverage on Emerson Electric in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price target for the company. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $116.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Emerson Electric news, SVP Michael H. Train sold 21,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.96, for a total value of $2,711,289.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 262,408 shares in the company, valued at $33,052,911.68. This represents a 7.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.50% of the company’s stock.

Emerson Electric Company Profile

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.