Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. Increases Stock Position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Harbert Fund Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Harbert Fund Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EMR. GDS Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 3,965 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $491,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC lifted its position in Emerson Electric by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 14,207 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Bank grew its stake in shares of Emerson Electric by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Berkshire Bank now owns 2,588 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 17,009 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,108,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,749 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EMR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Emerson Electric from $105.00 to $99.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $132.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Daiwa America raised shares of Emerson Electric to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Emerson Electric from $135.00 to $110.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.39.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

NYSE EMR opened at $99.66 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $114.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market cap of $56.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.28. Emerson Electric Co. has a 52-week low of $90.06 and a 52-week high of $134.85.

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

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.5275 dividend. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.36%.

Emerson Electric 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.