8,216 Shares in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE) Acquired by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 8,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $801,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of FELE. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Franklin Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Franklin Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Franklin Electric by 66.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 497 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Franklin Electric by 189.2% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Franklin Electric by 150.2% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 833 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 79.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Franklin Electric Price Performance

Shares of FELE opened at $86.93 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $92.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.51. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.87 and a twelve month high of $111.94. The company has a current ratio of 2.22, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.06). Franklin Electric had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 14.46%. The company had revenue of $455.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 8th will be given a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 8th. Franklin Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.75%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Electric

In other Franklin Electric news, insider Delancey W. Davis sold 961 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total transaction of $99,117.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,701 shares in the company, valued at approximately $794,281.14. This trade represents a 11.09 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Franklin Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Franklin Electric from $111.00 to $94.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Franklin Electric Company Profile

Franklin Electric Co, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and distributes water and fuel pumping systems worldwide. The company operates through Water Systems, Fueling Systems, and Distribution segments. The Water Systems segment offers submersible motors, drives, pumps, electronic controls, water treatment systems, monitoring devices, and related parts and equipment.