Kennedy Capital Management LLC Buys 13,071 Shares of Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. $SSD

Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. (NYSE:SSD) by 20.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,115 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 13,071 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.19% of Simpson Manufacturing worth $12,613,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 51.3% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,093 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $798,000 after purchasing an additional 1,726 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 11.8% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,720 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new position in Simpson Manufacturing during the 1st quarter valued at about $531,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 43.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 212,164 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,327,000 after purchasing an additional 64,114 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 121,099 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $19,022,000 after purchasing an additional 12,865 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.68% of the company’s stock.

Simpson Manufacturing Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Simpson Manufacturing stock opened at $192.48 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $183.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.84. The company has a quick ratio of 2.02, a current ratio of 3.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $151.38 and a 52-week high of $211.98. The company has a market cap of $7.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.57 and a beta of 1.32.

Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE:SSD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The construction company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.29. Simpson Manufacturing had a net margin of 14.92% and a return on equity of 17.72%. The business had revenue of $587.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. Simpson Manufacturing’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. will post 9.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Simpson Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 2nd. This is a positive change from Simpson Manufacturing’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Simpson Manufacturing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on SSD. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Simpson Manufacturing from $205.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Simpson Manufacturing from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Simpson Manufacturing from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Simpson Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Simpson Manufacturing from $200.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Simpson Manufacturing currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.75.

About Simpson Manufacturing

Simpson Manufacturing Co, Inc, through its Simpson Strong-Tie® brand, is a leading global supplier of structural building products. The company specializes in the design, testing, manufacture and supply of connectors, anchors, fasteners and lateral systems that enhance the safety and performance of wood, concrete and masonry structures. Its product portfolio also includes repair and strengthening systems, concrete reinforcement and high-performance adhesives used in residential, commercial and industrial construction projects.

Founded in 1956 by Barclay Simpson in Oakland, California, Simpson Manufacturing has grown from a single product business into a diversified manufacturer with worldwide operations.