Eaton Corporation, PLC $ETN Shares Sold by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel lessened its position in Eaton Corporation, PLC (NYSE:ETN) by 11.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 67,873 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,100 shares during the quarter. Eaton accounts for approximately 1.3% of Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Eaton were worth $29,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Eaton by 19.6% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,827,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,909,235,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120,567 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its holdings in Eaton by 3.5% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 864,731 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $368,479,000 after purchasing an additional 29,436 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Eaton by 112.6% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 336,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $120,199,000 after buying an additional 178,000 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Eaton by 87.1% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 282,750 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $121,501,000 after buying an additional 131,624 shares during the period. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Eaton by 12.1% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 266,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $95,442,000 after buying an additional 28,815 shares in the last quarter. 82.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ETN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Eaton from $502.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Eaton from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Eaton from $493.00 to $521.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $534.00 price objective (up from $509.00) on shares of Eaton in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Eaton in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $503.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $484.10.

Key Stories Impacting Eaton

Here are the key news stories impacting Eaton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Eaton’s second-quarter electrical backlog rose 43% year over year, while companywide organic sales increased 14%. The backlog highlights continued demand from data centers, grid modernization and broader electrification, although investors will want evidence that orders convert into durable earnings and cash flow without excessive capital spending. Eaton: Will Its Electrical Backlog Translate Into Lasting Earnings Power?
• Positive Sentiment: The company previously exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $3.15 in earnings per share versus the $3.08 consensus and revenue of $8.53 billion versus expectations of $8.16 billion. Management’s 2026 guidance calls for third-quarter EPS of $3.46–$3.56 and full-year EPS of $13.40–$13.60.
• Neutral Sentiment: Eaton will release third-quarter results on November 3 and hold an investor conference call the same day. The announcement itself provides no change to guidance, but the upcoming report could clarify backlog conversion, margins, cash flow and demand trends. Eaton to announce third-quarter 2026 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 39.7 times earnings, Eaton trades above its recent 12-quarter average multiple of 35.9 times. That premium leaves less room for disappointing guidance or slower backlog conversion, particularly after the stock’s weaker performance than the broader market over the past year. What Could Eaton Stock Be Worth In Three Years?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst comparisons currently favor Forgent over Eaton as a data-center power investment, citing Forgent’s faster projected earnings growth and backlog coverage. This may be encouraging investors to rotate toward higher-growth alternatives. Forgent vs. Eaton: Which Data Center Power Stock Is the Better Buy?

Insider Transactions at Eaton

In related news, insider Heath B. Monesmith sold 18,036 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $458.04, for a total value of $8,261,209.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 50,368 shares in the company, valued at $23,070,558.72. The trade was a 26.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 130 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $455.90 per share, for a total transaction of $59,267.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,829 shares in the company, valued at $833,841.10. This represents a 7.65% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Eaton Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE ETN traded down $10.73 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $380.77. The company had a trading volume of 1,481,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,519,018. Eaton Corporation, PLC has a 12-month low of $311.92 and a 12-month high of $478.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The business’s 50-day moving average is $421.96 and its 200 day moving average is $410.95. The stock has a market cap of $147.89 billion, a PE ratio of 38.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.13.

Eaton (NYSE:ETN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.08 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $8.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.16 billion. Eaton had a return on equity of 24.58% and a net margin of 12.75%. Eaton’s quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.95 EPS. Eaton has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.460-3.560 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 13.400-13.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Eaton Corporation, PLC will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eaton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Eaton’s payout ratio is 44.76%.

Eaton Company Profile

Eaton Corporation plc is a global intelligent power management company that helps businesses, utilities, data centers, manufacturers and other organizations manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more safely, efficiently and reliably. Its solutions support applications ranging from power distribution and backup systems to industrial automation, building infrastructure and transportation.

The company’s Electrical segment provides products and systems such as circuit breakers, switchgear, power distribution equipment, surge protection, energy management software and data center power solutions.