Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS) Stake Raised by Oberweis Asset Management Inc.

Oberweis Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS - Free Report) by 21.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 229,830 shares of the conglomerate's stock after purchasing an additional 40,100 shares during the quarter. Federal Signal comprises approximately 1.0% of Oberweis Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.38% of Federal Signal worth $21,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSS. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Federal Signal by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 62,930 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $5,814,000 after buying an additional 2,319 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Federal Signal by 48.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,400 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,752 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Federal Signal by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 36,325 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $3,356,000 after purchasing an additional 2,389 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Federal Signal in the fourth quarter worth $79,810,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Federal Signal by 56.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 894,136 shares of the conglomerate's stock worth $82,609,000 after purchasing an additional 322,676 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.73% of the company's stock.

Federal Signal Stock Performance

NYSE FSS traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $75.93. The company had a trading volume of 223,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,540. Federal Signal Co. has a fifty-two week low of $66.47 and a fifty-two week high of $102.18. The firm has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.28.

Federal Signal (NYSE:FSS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The conglomerate reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.87. Federal Signal had a net margin of 11.57% and a return on equity of 18.46%. The firm had revenue of $472.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.90 million. Equities analysts predict that Federal Signal Co. will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Federal Signal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. Federal Signal's payout ratio is 15.95%.

Federal Signal announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $150.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the conglomerate to purchase up to 3.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on FSS. Raymond James decreased their target price on Federal Signal from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Federal Signal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Sherman purchased 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $82.32 per share, for a total transaction of $102,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 559,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,031,944.56. This represents a 0.22 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the company's stock.

Federal Signal Profile

Federal Signal Corp. engages in the design and manufacture of products and integrated solutions for municipal, governmental, industrial, and commercial customers. It operates through the Environmental Solutions Group and Safety and Security Systems Group segments. The Environment Solutions Group segment is involved in the manufacture and supply of street sweeper vehicles, sewer cleaners, vacuum loader trucks, hydro-excavation trucks, and water blasting equipment.