Sei Investments Co. Makes New $940,000 Investment in Eastern Company (The) $EML

Sei Investments Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Eastern Company (The) (NASDAQ:EML) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 46,442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $940,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Eastern by 3,259.7% in the fourth quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 13,674 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 13,267 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in Eastern in the 3rd quarter worth $206,000. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in Eastern during the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Eastern by 6.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 138,918 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,171,000 after acquiring an additional 8,205 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in shares of Eastern by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 133,039 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,620,000 after purchasing an additional 7,779 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eastern

In other news, Director John Everets acquired 1,310 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $21.40 per share, with a total value of $28,034.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 142,504 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,049,585.60. This trade represents a 0.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Peggy Scott acquired 1,176 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $21.40 per share, for a total transaction of $25,166.40. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 26,262 shares in the company, valued at $562,006.80. This represents a 4.69% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 13,264 shares of company stock valued at $285,179 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 18.40% of the company’s stock.

Eastern Price Performance

Shares of Eastern stock opened at $25.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 3.52 and a quick ratio of 1.64. Eastern Company has a fifty-two week low of $17.61 and a fifty-two week high of $29.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $24.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.76. The company has a market cap of $154.70 million, a PE ratio of 19.14 and a beta of 0.84.

Eastern (NASDAQ:EML) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 11th. The industrial products company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.52). The company had revenue of $61.82 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $73.69 million. Eastern had a return on equity of 3.41% and a net margin of 3.44%.

Eastern Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Eastern’s payout ratio is currently 32.84%.

Key Stories Impacting Eastern

Here are the key news stories impacting Eastern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Backlog jumped 45% year over year to $126.2 million, supported by acquired aerospace orders and stronger demand for truck mirror assemblies, returnable transport packaging, and latch and handle products. Management said the backlog provides enhanced visibility for improving underlying profitability during the remainder of 2026. The Eastern Company Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The June acquisition of Sungear and Crown Precision expands Eastern’s presence in precision manufacturing for aerospace, defense, and adjacent markets. The deals contributed a $6.5 million non-cash bargain purchase gain, helping net income from continuing operations rise to $5.6 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, from $2.0 million, or $0.33, a year earlier. The Eastern Company Reports Q2 2026 Net Income of $5.6 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Eastern repurchased 19,529 shares during the quarter and retained authorization to buy back 256,275 additional shares. Insider activity was also supportive, with reported open-market purchases and no insider sales over the past six months.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management discussed the results on its August 12 earnings call, providing investors with additional details on the acquisitions, backlog, and the company’s outlook. The Eastern Company Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly sales declined 12% year over year to $61.8 million, below the approximately $73.7 million analyst estimate. Adjusted EBITDA fell to $3.4 million from $6.7 million, indicating that the headline earnings improvement was heavily influenced by the acquisition-related gain rather than stronger operating performance.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Eastern in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Eastern presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

About Eastern

Eastern (NASDAQ:EML), based in West Haven, Connecticut, is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in secure hardware and metal finishing services. The company operates through two primary segments: Industrial Hardware Products and Security Products, complemented by a Metal Coatings division. Its Industrial Hardware Products segment produces cold-headed fasteners, forgings, hinges and precision components for heavy commercial vehicles, hydraulic cylinders and industrial machinery.

The Security Products segment designs and manufactures a wide range of lock and latch solutions, including padlocks, door hardware, cabinet locks and rental security towers for commercial and institutional applications.