HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS)

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,173 shares of the conglomerate’s stock after selling 528 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of Federal Signal worth $3,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Federal Signal in the fourth quarter worth about $36,636,000. ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC bought a new position in Federal Signal in the third quarter worth about $28,863,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Federal Signal by 17.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,601,774 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $149,727,000 after buying an additional 239,789 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Federal Signal by 26.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 638,253 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $59,523,000 after purchasing an additional 134,457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Federal Signal by 338.7% during 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 in the last quarter. 92.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Sherman bought 1,250 shares of the company’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 completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 559,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,031,944.56. This trade represents a 0.22 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Federal Signal Price Performance

Shares of FSS opened at $75.26 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.02. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $90.64 and a 200 day moving average of $91.13. Federal Signal Co. has a twelve month low of $74.23 and a twelve month high of $102.18.

Federal Signal (NYSE:FSS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The conglomerate reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.87. The company had revenue of $472.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.90 million. Federal Signal had a net margin of 11.57% and a return on equity of 18.46%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Federal Signal Co. will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Federal Signal Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. This is a boost from Federal Signal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Federal Signal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Federal Signal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Federal Signal in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th.

Federal Signal Company 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.