Van ECK Associates Corp Acquires 3,109 Shares of Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. (NYSE:SSD) by 34.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 12,164 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,109 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Simpson Manufacturing were worth $2,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Simpson Manufacturing by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,216 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Simpson Manufacturing by 36.1% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 415 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Simpson Manufacturing by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,662 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,517,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lifted its stake in Simpson Manufacturing by 19.7% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 801 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $120,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Simpson Manufacturing in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 93.68% of the company’s stock.

Simpson Manufacturing Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SSD opened at $180.07 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $193.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $181.67. Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. has a one year low of $117.08 and a one year high of $218.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 2.19 and a current ratio of 3.77.

Simpson Manufacturing (NYSE:SSD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $530.58 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $549.87 million. Simpson Manufacturing had a return on equity of 20.51% and a net margin of 15.45%. The business’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.05 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc. will post 8.44 EPS for the current year.

Simpson Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. This is a positive change from Simpson Manufacturing’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 3rd. Simpson Manufacturing’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.53%.

Insider Activity at Simpson Manufacturing

In related news, Director Jennifer Chatman sold 934 shares of Simpson Manufacturing stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.48, for a total transaction of $179,776.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,817,522.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Simpson Manufacturing news, EVP Phillip Burton sold 2,000 shares of Simpson Manufacturing stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.39, for a total value of $422,780.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $854,861.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jennifer Chatman sold 934 shares of Simpson Manufacturing stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.48, for a total transaction of $179,776.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,638 shares in the company, valued at $2,817,522.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,784 shares of company stock valued at $770,924 over the last ninety days. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Simpson Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Simpson Manufacturing from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th.

Simpson Manufacturing Company 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.