Douglas Dynamics (NYSE:PLOW) Shares Gap Up Following Earnings Beat

Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (NYSE:PLOW)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $24.39, but opened at $25.90. Douglas Dynamics shares last traded at $26.42, with a volume of 29,855 shares changing hands.

The auto parts company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.16) by $0.25. Douglas Dynamics had a return on equity of 12.68% and a net margin of 9.89%. The business had revenue of $115.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $107.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.29) EPS. Douglas Dynamics’s quarterly revenue was up 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Douglas Dynamics Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.62%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Douglas Dynamics’s payout ratio is currently 50.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on PLOW. StockNews.com upgraded Douglas Dynamics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of Douglas Dynamics in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 35.4% in the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 2,273,003 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $52,802,000 after purchasing an additional 593,962 shares during the last quarter. Ararat Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Douglas Dynamics by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Ararat Capital Management LP now owns 807,186 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $19,074,000 after buying an additional 233,255 shares during the last quarter. Ranger Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Douglas Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,173,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Douglas Dynamics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,523,000. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 909,283 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $21,487,000 after acquiring an additional 143,853 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.85% of the company’s stock.

Douglas Dynamics Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $590.38 million, a PE ratio of 11.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $23.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.67.

About Douglas Dynamics

Douglas Dynamics, Inc operates as a manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment in North America. It operates through two segments, Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions. The Work Truck Attachments segment manufactures and sells snow and ice control attachments, including snowplows, and sand and salt spreaders for light trucks and heavy duty trucks, as well as various related parts and accessories.