Oberweis Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS)

Oberweis Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS) by 21.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 229,830 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,100 shares during the period. Federal Signal comprises approximately 1.0% of Oberweis Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Oberweis Asset Management Inc. owned 0.38% of Federal Signal worth $21,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FSS. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Federal Signal by 338.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 145,188 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $13,569,000 after purchasing an additional 112,092 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Federal Signal in the 3rd quarter worth about $46,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Federal Signal by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,174 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Federal Signal by 26.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 638,253 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $59,523,000 after purchasing an additional 134,457 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Federal Signal by 1.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 169,352 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $15,828,000 after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Federal Signal

In other Federal Signal news, CEO Jennifer L. Sherman bought 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were bought at an average price of $82.32 per share, for a total transaction of $102,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 559,183 shares in the company, valued at $46,031,944.56. This trade represents a 0.22 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FSS shares. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Federal Signal from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com cut Federal Signal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st.

Federal Signal Price Performance

Federal Signal stock opened at $75.53 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.65. Federal Signal Co. has a 52 week low of $66.47 and a 52 week high of $102.18. The stock has a market cap of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.89, a PEG 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.

Federal Signal (NYSE:FSS) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $472.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.90 million. Federal Signal had a net margin of 11.57% and a return on equity of 18.46%. On average, research analysts forecast that Federal Signal Co. will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Signal announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, April 22nd that permits the company to buyback $150.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the conglomerate to buy up to 3.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Federal Signal Announces Dividend

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

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.