Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 33,356 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 851 shares during the quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $4,134,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stephens Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Emerson Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Fiduciary Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.30% of the company’s stock.

Emerson Electric Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:EMR opened at $111.73 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $121.69 and its 200 day moving average is $118.97. Emerson Electric Co. has a 1 year low of $96.62 and a 1 year high of $134.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

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

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.5275 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. Emerson Electric’s payout ratio is presently 50.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EMR shares. Daiwa America upgraded Emerson Electric to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Daiwa Capital Markets started coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $147.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut Emerson Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Loop Capital upped their target price on Emerson Electric from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered Emerson Electric from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.22.

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.