Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. Increases Stake in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 12,405 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. Sterling Investment Advisors Ltd.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $1,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $580,000. Mengis Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 37,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in Emerson Electric by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 44,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,482,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the period. 74.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:EMR opened at $120.63 on Tuesday. Emerson Electric Co. has a one year low of $96.62 and a one year high of $134.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $124.89 and a 200-day moving average of $117.81. The company has a market capitalization of $68.02 billion, a PE ratio of 28.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.54.

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

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.5275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 50.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EMR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Daiwa America upgraded Emerson Electric to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Emerson Electric in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Emerson Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $136.90.

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.