Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Federal Signal Co. (NYSE:FSS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,200,000 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the February 28th total of 3,420,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 498,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.4 days. Currently, 7.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Federal Signal in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Federal Signal from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st.

Federal Signal Price Performance

Shares of FSS stock traded up $2.19 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $77.22. 398,915 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 397,633. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $87.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.80. Federal Signal has a fifty-two week low of $72.70 and a fifty-two week high of $102.18. The firm has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.38, a P/E/G 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.

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, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87. Federal Signal had a net margin of 11.57% and a return on equity of 18.46%. The company had revenue of $472.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.90 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Federal Signal will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Federal Signal Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. This is a boost from Federal Signal’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Federal Signal’s payout ratio is presently 15.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Federal Signal

In related news, CEO Jennifer L. Sherman acquired 1,250 shares of Federal Signal stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $82.32 per share, for a total transaction of $102,900.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 559,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,031,944.56. This represents a 0.22 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FSS. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Federal Signal by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,662 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $616,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Federal Signal in the 4th quarter valued at about $13,686,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in Federal Signal by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 21,443 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,981,000 after purchasing an additional 3,377 shares in the last quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Federal Signal by 41.6% during the 4th quarter. EDENTREE ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd now owns 18,055 shares of the conglomerate’s stock worth $1,669,000 after purchasing an additional 5,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Federal Signal by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 174,401 shares of the conglomerate’s stock valued at $16,113,000 after purchasing an additional 21,971 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.73% of the company’s stock.

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.