Berkeley Inc Invests $4.12 Million in Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD)

Berkeley Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 24,819 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $4,116,000. Simpson Manufacturing comprises about 2.1% of Berkeley Inc's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Berkeley Inc owned about 0.06% of Simpson Manufacturing at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,204,871 shares of the construction company's stock worth $697,294,000 after buying an additional 31,164 shares during the last quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Simpson Manufacturing by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,399,918 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $232,148,000 after buying an additional 62,165 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 710,166 shares of the construction company's stock worth $117,804,000 after purchasing an additional 2,502 shares in the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Simpson Manufacturing by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 630,436 shares of the construction company's stock worth $104,545,000 after purchasing an additional 10,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Simpson Manufacturing by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 581,406 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $96,405,000 after acquiring an additional 275,989 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.68% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SSD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Simpson Manufacturing from $196.00 to $192.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Simpson Manufacturing from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Simpson Manufacturing Stock Performance

Simpson Manufacturing stock traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $155.70. The company had a trading volume of 323,687 shares, compared to its average volume of 272,044. The firm has a market cap of $6.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 3.21 and a quick ratio of 1.59. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. has a one year low of $137.35 and a one year high of $197.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $153.78 and a 200 day moving average of $164.61.

Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE:SSD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The construction company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.14. Simpson Manufacturing had a net margin of 14.44% and a return on equity of 18.00%. The business had revenue of $538.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $531.81 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.77 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Simpson Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. This is a positive change from Simpson Manufacturing's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Simpson Manufacturing's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.10%.

Simpson Manufacturing Profile

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.