Pentair plc (NYSE:PNR) Stock Rated “Hold” by Sell-Side Analysts

Pentair plc (NYSE:PNR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $76.59.

PNR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Pentair from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Pentair to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Pentair from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Pentair from $69.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Pentair from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $65.00 to $55.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 14th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pentair

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pentair by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,825 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. grew its position in Pentair by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 2,657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Pentair by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,502 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Pentair by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,526 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $481,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp increased its stake in Pentair by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 1,524 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

Pentair Stock Performance

Shares of PNR opened at $68.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.01. Pentair has a 52 week low of $51.13 and a 52 week high of $109.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $57.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.47.

Pentair (NYSE:PNR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The industrial products company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $976.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $963.71 million. Pentair had a return on equity of 20.10% and a net margin of 15.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.24 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Pentair will post 4.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pentair Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 6th. Investors of record on Friday, October 23rd were paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 23rd. Pentair’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.65%.

Pentair Company Profile

Pentair plc is a water solutions company that develops and supplies products and services for managing, treating and moving water. Its offerings include water filtration and treatment systems, pumps, valves and related equipment for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers.

The company also serves the pool and spa market, providing equipment and systems such as pumps, filters, heaters and water-care products. Pentair serves customers in markets around the world.

Founded in 1966, Pentair has evolved from its origins as a diversified manufacturer into a company focused on water-related businesses.