Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) Holdings Raised by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC increased its holdings in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,196 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Eaton were worth $397,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Eaton by 48.9% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 41,106 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,533,000 after acquiring an additional 13,497 shares in the last quarter. Lighthouse Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Eaton in the 4th quarter worth about $297,000. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its stake in Eaton by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 17,925 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,949,000 after acquiring an additional 6,166 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Eaton by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 9,256 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,072,000 after acquiring an additional 790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Eaton by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 14,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,804,000 after acquiring an additional 1,694 shares in the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eaton Stock Performance

ETN opened at $316.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $342.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $331.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Eaton Co. plc has a 12-month low of $255.65 and a 12-month high of $379.99.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.82 by $0.01. Eaton had a return on equity of 22.62% and a net margin of 15.25%. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ETN shares. UBS Group started coverage on Eaton in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $431.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised their price target on Eaton from $350.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Evercore ISI downgraded Eaton from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $333.00 to $389.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Melius Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $373.00 price target on shares of Eaton in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Eaton from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $369.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Eaton news, insider Ernest W. Marshall, Jr. sold 1,412 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $378.58, for a total value of $534,554.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 31,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,811,696. This trade represents a 4.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gregory R. Page sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.98, for a total value of $3,559,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 43,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,379,403.94. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Eaton Company Profile

Eaton Corporation plc operates as a power management company worldwide. The company’s Electrical Americas and Electrical Global segment provides electrical components, industrial components, power distribution and assemblies, residential products, single and three phase power quality and connectivity products, wiring devices, circuit protection products, utility power distribution products, power reliability equipment, and services, as well as hazardous duty electrical equipment, emergency lighting, fire detection, explosion-proof instrumentation, and structural support systems.