Peggy Scott Purchases 1,064 Shares of Eastern (NASDAQ:EML) Stock

Eastern Company (The) (NASDAQ:EML) Director Peggy Scott bought 1,064 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $20.93 per share, with a total value of $22,269.52. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 25,086 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $525,049.98. The trade was a 4.43% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Eastern Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of EML opened at $20.14 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $121.65 million, a P/E ratio of 17.21 and a beta of 0.97. Eastern Company has a one year low of $17.61 and a one year high of $26.77. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 3.59 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

Eastern (NASDAQ:EML) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The industrial products company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.05). Eastern had a return on equity of 6.52% and a net margin of 2.90%.The business had revenue of $248.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.68 million.

Institutional Trading of Eastern

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barington Companies Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eastern by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Barington Companies Management LLC now owns 634,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,502,000 after buying an additional 4,833 shares during the period. Minerva Advisors LLC raised its stake in Eastern by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC now owns 530,053 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,435,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in Eastern by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 515,545 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,151,000 after buying an additional 3,827 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Eastern by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 388,292 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,645,000 after acquiring an additional 1,571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Eastern by 0.3% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 257,126 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,032,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Eastern in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Eastern to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Eastern has an average rating of “Hold”.

More Eastern News

Here are the key news stories impacting Eastern this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Heavy insider buying: multiple directors (Mardy, Scott, Everets, Galbato, Mitarotonda, Henry) purchased shares on March 16 at ~ $20.93, signaling management confidence and supporting near?term demand for the stock. InsiderTrades — Insider Buying
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional accumulation: several funds (Goldman Sachs, Empowered Funds, Geode, others) increased or initiated positions recently; institutional ownership remains high (~77%), which can support steadier share demand. MarketBeat — EML
• Neutral Sentiment: Oil price volatility from Middle East tensions may lift transportation and input costs for industrial manufacturers like Eastern; this is an uncertain near?term headwind but not a company?specific catalyst. Barchart — Oil Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro caution: S&P500 weakness ahead of Fed decisions can weigh on small?cap industrials broadly, creating market?wide volatility rather than company?specific moves. TipRanks — S&P 500/Stumbles
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results (Mar 3) missed consensus: EPS $0.31 vs. $0.36 expected and narrow net margins (~2.9%), highlighting ongoing margin pressure and operational headwinds that could limit upside until profitability stabilizes. MarketBeat — Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/industry skepticism: recent analysis (Seeking Alpha) frames Eastern as still facing headwinds — reinforces cautious positioning among some investors until clearer recovery in margins or revenue growth. Seeking Alpha — The Eastern Company: Still Dealing With Headwinds

About Eastern

Eastern (NASDAQ:EML), based in West Haven, Connecticut, is a diversified industrial manufacturer specializing in secure hardware and metal finishing services. The company operates through two primary segments: Industrial Hardware Products and Security Products, complemented by a Metal Coatings division. Its Industrial Hardware Products segment produces cold-headed fasteners, forgings, hinges and precision components for heavy commercial vehicles, hydraulic cylinders and industrial machinery.

The Security Products segment designs and manufactures a wide range of lock and latch solutions, including padlocks, door hardware, cabinet locks and rental security towers for commercial and institutional applications.