Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $2.50 Million in Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. (NYSE:SSD)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 15,894 shares of Simpson Manufacturing Company (NYSE:SSD) during the first quarter, valued at approximately $2.5 million.
• Simpson Manufacturing recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.29 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.63%.
• DA Davidson upgraded the target price for Simpson Manufacturing shares from $180.00 to $185.00 and maintained a "neutral" rating.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. (NYSE:SSD - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 15,894 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $2,497,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Simpson Manufacturing by 0.4% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 97,163 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $15,262,000 after buying an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Simpson Manufacturing by 163.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the construction company's stock worth $184,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Simpson Manufacturing by 708.0% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,590 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,135,000 after acquiring an additional 11,908 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in Simpson Manufacturing by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 4,944 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $776,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Simpson Manufacturing by 1,070.0% during the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 351 shares of the construction company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.68% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, DA Davidson upped their target price on Simpson Manufacturing from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday.

Simpson Manufacturing Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SSD traded down $0.50 on Friday, hitting $178.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 377,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 279,499. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $160.46 and a 200-day moving average of $160.07. The company has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82 and a beta of 1.28. Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.35 and a 12-month high of $197.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 3.37 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE:SSD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The construction company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $631.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $601.80 million. Simpson Manufacturing had a return on equity of 17.72% and a net margin of 14.53%. Simpson Manufacturing's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.31 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc. will post 8.29 EPS for the current year.

Simpson Manufacturing Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. Simpson Manufacturing's dividend payout ratio is 14.80%.

About Simpson Manufacturing

Simpson Manufacturing Co, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, engineers, manufactures, and sells structural solutions for wood, concrete, and steel connections. The company offers wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and pre-fabricated lateral systems for use in light-frame construction; and concrete construction products comprising adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, carbide drill bits, powder actuated tools, fiber-reinforced materials, and other repair products for use in concrete, masonry, and steel construction, as well as grouts, coatings, sealers, mortars, fiberglass and fiber-reinforced polymer systems, and asphalt products for use in concrete construction repair, and strengthening and protection products.