Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 166,836 Shares of Franklin Electric Co., Inc. $FELE

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:FELE) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,348,096 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 166,836 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.77% of Franklin Electric worth $413,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Franklin Electric by 31.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Franklin Electric by 36.5% in the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Franklin Electric by 24.3% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 608 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Franklin Electric by 24.6% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 937 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $89,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Franklin Electric by 10.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $118,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FELE. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Franklin Electric in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Franklin Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $100.00 target price on Franklin Electric in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

Franklin Electric Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:FELE opened at $99.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 2.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $100.23 and its 200-day moving average is $97.18. The company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. Franklin Electric Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $78.87 and a 52-week high of $111.53.

Franklin Electric (NASDAQ:FELE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The industrial products company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.89 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $506.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $516.25 million. Franklin Electric had a net margin of 6.90% and a return on equity of 14.52%. Franklin Electric’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.72 EPS. Franklin Electric has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.600 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Franklin Electric Co., Inc. will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Franklin Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Franklin Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Franklin Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 34.78%.

Insider Transactions at Franklin Electric

In related news, CEO Joseph A. Ruzynski bought 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $93.34 per share, with a total value of $46,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 22,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,120,871.48. The trade was a 2.25% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.72% of the company’s stock.

About Franklin Electric

Franklin Electric Co, Inc is a world‐leading manufacturer and distributor of systems and components for moving and managing water and fuel. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the company specializes in designing engineered pumping systems and related controls for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

Founded in 1944, Franklin Electric has built its reputation on submersible and surface pumping solutions for water wells, municipal water and wastewater treatment, irrigation and industrial fluid handling.