Lazard Asset Management LLC Sells 8,819 Shares of Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD)

Lazard Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD - Free Report) by 55.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,045 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 8,819 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Simpson Manufacturing were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Simpson Manufacturing by 27.2% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,313 shares of the construction company's stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Simpson Manufacturing during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,172,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in Simpson Manufacturing by 286.1% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 19,481 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,231,000 after buying an additional 14,435 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Simpson Manufacturing in the fourth quarter worth approximately $695,000. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Simpson Manufacturing by 4,755.8% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 168,302 shares of the construction company's stock worth $27,910,000 after buying an additional 164,836 shares in the last quarter. 93.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael Andersen sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.98, for a total value of $169,980.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,810 shares in the company, valued at $1,497,523.80. This represents a 10.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Simpson Manufacturing from $196.00 to $192.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Simpson Manufacturing from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th.

Simpson Manufacturing Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Simpson Manufacturing stock opened at $163.49 on Tuesday. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $137.35 and a twelve month high of $197.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company's 50 day moving average is $154.17 and its 200 day moving average is $166.16. The company has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51 and a beta of 1.34.

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

Simpson Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 3rd will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This is an increase from Simpson Manufacturing's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. Simpson Manufacturing's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.10%.

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.

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