Needham Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (NYSE:PLOW)

Needham Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (NYSE:PLOW - Free Report) by 366.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,000 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 55,000 shares during the period. Needham Investment Management LLC owned about 0.30% of Douglas Dynamics worth $1,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PLOW. Ararat Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $19,074,000 after acquiring an additional 233,255 shares in the last quarter. Ranger Investment Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Douglas Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth about $4,173,000. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Douglas Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth about $3,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Douglas Dynamics by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 909,283 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $21,487,000 after purchasing an additional 143,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Drystone LLC bought a new stake in shares of Douglas Dynamics in the fourth quarter worth about $2,531,000. 91.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Douglas Dynamics Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE PLOW traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $28.89. 217,196 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 192,811. The stock has a market capitalization of $670.51 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.56, 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $24.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.83. Douglas Dynamics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.30 and a 12 month high of $30.98.

Douglas Dynamics (NYSE:PLOW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The auto parts company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.16) by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $115.07 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.80 million. Douglas Dynamics had a return on equity of 12.68% and a net margin of 9.89%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 20.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.29) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Douglas Dynamics, Inc. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Douglas Dynamics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. Douglas Dynamics's payout ratio is 43.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PLOW has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised Douglas Dynamics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Douglas Dynamics in a report on Tuesday, February 25th.

Douglas Dynamics Company Profile

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.