V Square Quantitative Management LLC Lowers Stake in Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC cut its position in shares of Eaton Co. plc (NYSE:ETN) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,291 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 249 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Eaton were worth $2,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Eaton by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD grew its position in shares of Eaton by 16.2% during the third quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Eaton by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 985 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Eaton by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 896 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Eaton by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 659 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Eaton Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ETN opened at $307.70 on Friday. Eaton Co. plc has a twelve month low of $255.65 and a twelve month high of $379.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a market capitalization of $121.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $339.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $331.47.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the business posted $2.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Eaton Co. plc will post 12.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ETN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Eaton from $365.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Eaton from $350.00 to $335.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Eaton in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $382.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Eaton from $440.00 to $410.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Eaton currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eaton

In other Eaton news, Director Gregory R. Page sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,379,403.94. This represents a 18.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ernest W. Marshall, Jr. sold 1,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $378.58, for a total transaction of $534,554.96. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 31,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,811,696. This represents a 4.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.