Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) Shares Bought by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its position in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 445,706 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,963 shares during the quarter. Eaton comprises about 1.4% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Eaton were worth $147,916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ETN. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Eaton by 253.2% in the third 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 valued at $753,590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629,856 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 valued at $355,959,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,024 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in 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 worth $801,798,000 after acquiring an additional 597,700 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $133,321,000 after purchasing an additional 390,595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Eaton by 15.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,421,626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $836,938,000 after purchasing an additional 316,830 shares during the period. 82.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Eaton Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of ETN opened at $313.11 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $343.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $331.01. The stock has a market cap of $123.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Eaton Co. plc has a 1-year low of $255.65 and a 1-year high of $379.99.

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 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 quarter last year, the company earned $2.55 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on ETN. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Eaton from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $335.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $348.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein started 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 upped their price objective on Eaton from $350.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eaton currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $369.20.

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

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.