Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) Shares Bought by S.A. Mason LLC

S.A. Mason LLC raised its holdings in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Eaton were worth $193,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Red Spruce Capital LLC grew its stake in Eaton by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 17,522 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,220,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. GSG Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Eaton by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. GSG Advisors LLC now owns 2,227 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $519,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Global Trust Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Eaton by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Eaton by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,836 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in Eaton by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,693 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $788,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ETN. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Eaton from $287.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Eaton from $262.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Eaton from $255.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Eaton from $220.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Eaton from $246.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.20.

Insider Transactions at Eaton

In related news, insider Heath B. Monesmith sold 13,027 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $291.40, for a total transaction of $3,796,067.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,244,140.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Eaton news, insider Heath B. Monesmith sold 13,027 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $291.40, for a total value of $3,796,067.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 69,472 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,244,140.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ernest W. Marshall, Jr. sold 19,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.17, for a total value of $5,395,107.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 29,712 shares in the company, valued at $8,116,427.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,969 shares of company stock worth $10,904,774 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Eaton Stock Performance

Shares of Eaton stock opened at $314.63 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $278.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $242.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $125.69 billion, a PE ratio of 39.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.07. Eaton Co. plc has a 52 week low of $155.38 and a 52 week high of $317.02.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The industrial products company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.08. Eaton had a net margin of 13.88% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The company had revenue of $5.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.06 earnings per share. Eaton’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Eaton Co. plc will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Eaton Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. This is a boost from Eaton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.86. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 8th. Eaton’s dividend payout ratio is 46.88%.

Eaton Company Profile

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.