Short Interest in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) Grows By 17.2%

Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 12,590,000 shares, an increase of 17.2% from the January 15th total of 10,740,000 shares. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,100,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days.

Emerson Electric Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE EMR traded down $2.00 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $123.30. The stock had a trading volume of 2,151,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,237,389. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $70.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $125.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $117.11. Emerson Electric has a 52 week low of $96.62 and a 52 week high of $134.85.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 13.74% and a return on equity of 12.08%. Analysts anticipate that Emerson Electric will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.5275 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Emerson Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Emerson Electric

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 184,707 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,201,000 after purchasing an additional 2,768 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB increased its position in Emerson Electric by 127.3% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 2,544,439 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $278,285,000 after acquiring an additional 1,424,800 shares in the last quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 3.9% in the third quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 9,922 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,085,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Buffington Mohr McNeal acquired a new stake in Emerson Electric in the third quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,275,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $160.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Emerson Electric from $117.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $130.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group assumed coverage on Emerson Electric in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $116.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.90.

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.