Howland Capital Management LLC Purchases 3,054 Shares of Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR)

Howland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,494 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,054 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Emerson Electric were worth $3,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in EMR. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the third quarter worth $25,000. Stephens Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 74.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE EMR opened at $124.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $126.51 and a 200 day moving average of $116.79. The stock has a market cap of $70.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.34. Emerson Electric Co. has a 1 year low of $96.62 and a 1 year high of $134.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.10. Emerson Electric had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 13.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Emerson Electric Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $2.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Emerson Electric’s payout ratio is currently 50.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on EMR shares. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Emerson Electric to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Emerson Electric from $140.00 to $158.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $135.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Thursday. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Emerson Electric has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.90.

Emerson Electric 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.