Advocate Group LLC Raises Holdings in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Advocate Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 73,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 5,619 shares during the quarter. Emerson Electric comprises about 1.7% of Advocate Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $9,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the third quarter worth $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Emerson Electric during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Emerson Electric during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. 74.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Michael H. Train sold 21,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.96, for a total transaction of $2,711,289.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 262,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,052,911.68. This represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Emerson Electric from $139.00 to $138.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Emerson Electric in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp increased their target price on Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Stephens cut Emerson Electric from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $135.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.89.

Emerson Electric Stock Performance

EMR stock opened at $130.62 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $74.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.35. Emerson Electric Co. has a fifty-two week low of $91.64 and a fifty-two week high of $134.85.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.5275 per share. This is a positive change from Emerson Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.70%.

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.