Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) Shares Purchased by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,873 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 777 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Eaton were worth $2,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Eaton by 253.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,273,685 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $753,590,000 after acquiring an additional 1,629,856 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Eaton by 27,075.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,073,976 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $355,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,024 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Eaton by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,419,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $801,798,000 after acquiring an additional 597,700 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Eaton in the 3rd quarter worth $137,794,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Eaton by 3,508.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 401,728 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,321,000 after acquiring an additional 390,595 shares in the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eaton Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE ETN opened at $309.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $337.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $331.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.50. Eaton Co. plc has a one year low of $255.65 and a one year high of $379.99. The firm has a market cap of $122.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.55, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.82 by $0.01. Eaton had a net margin of 15.25% and a return on equity of 22.62%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Eaton

In related 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 shares were sold at an average price of $378.58, for a total value of $534,554.96. Following the sale, the insider now owns 31,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,811,696. This trade represents a 4.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gregory R. Page sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $355.98, for a total transaction of $3,559,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 43,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,379,403.94. This trade represents a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Eaton in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $431.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI cut shares of Eaton from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating and increased their target price for the company from $333.00 to $389.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Melius Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $373.00 target price on shares of Eaton in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Eaton from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eaton in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $382.00 target price for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $369.20.

About Eaton

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.