Whipplewood Advisors LLC Invests $135,000 in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN)

Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 408 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $135,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ETN. 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 purchasing an additional 1,629,856 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Eaton by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,419,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $801,798,000 after purchasing an additional 597,700 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Eaton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $137,794,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Eaton by 3,508.4% during 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 buying an additional 390,595 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Eaton by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,421,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $836,938,000 after buying an additional 316,830 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.97% of the company’s stock.

Eaton Stock Performance

Eaton stock opened at $290.08 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $327.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $332.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of $114.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.53, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.05. Eaton Co. plc has a fifty-two week low of $255.65 and a fifty-two week high of $379.99.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.55 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eaton Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $1.04 dividend. This is a boost from Eaton’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Eaton’s payout ratio is currently 39.58%.

Insider Transactions at Eaton

In other news, Director Gregory R. Page sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now directly owns 43,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,379,403.94. The trade was a 18.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on ETN shares. UBS Group started coverage on Eaton in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $431.00 price target for the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on Eaton from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating on shares of Eaton in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Eaton in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $382.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Eaton from $350.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $366.05.

Eaton 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.