Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,260,000 shares, an increase of 9.1% from the November 30th total of 11,240,000 shares. Currently, 2.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,930,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.2 days.

Emerson Electric Stock Performance

NYSE EMR opened at $123.93 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.24, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.34. Emerson Electric has a twelve month low of $91.64 and a twelve month high of $134.85. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.5275 dividend. This is a positive change from Emerson Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Emerson Electric’s payout ratio is currently 61.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Michael H. Train sold 21,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.96, for a total transaction of $2,711,289.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 262,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,052,911.68. This trade represents a 7.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 812,976 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $88,915,000 after buying an additional 23,205 shares during the period. Syntax Research Inc. grew its holdings in Emerson Electric by 1,318.7% in the third quarter. Syntax Research Inc. now owns 3,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 3,310 shares during the period. Logan Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Emerson Electric by 0.6% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 45,770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,006,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Old North State Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Emerson Electric during the third quarter valued at about $212,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Emerson Electric by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 586,319 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $66,043,000 after purchasing an additional 17,913 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EMR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $116.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Friday, September 6th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Emerson Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.58.

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.