Fruth Investment Management Cuts Position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Fruth Investment Management cut its stake in shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,533 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 970 shares during the quarter. Emerson Electric comprises about 1.3% of Fruth Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $4,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GDS Wealth Management increased its holdings in Emerson Electric by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 3,965 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $491,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Berkshire Bank increased its position in Emerson Electric by 3.6% during the fourth 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. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 5.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC increased its position in Emerson Electric by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Silver Lake Advisory LLC now owns 24,249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,005,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sargent Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Emerson Electric by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 16,986 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,012,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group started coverage on Emerson Electric in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Emerson Electric from $117.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised their price target on Emerson Electric from $116.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Emerson Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 1st. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $136.45.

Emerson Electric Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EMR opened at $124.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $71.08 billion, a PE ratio of 36.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.34. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $126.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.61. Emerson Electric Co. has a fifty-two week low of $93.03 and a fifty-two week high of $134.85.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 11.25% and a return on equity of 11.73%. Sell-side analysts expect that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Company 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.