Simulations Plus (NASDAQ:SLP) Shares Gap Up to $39.70

Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ:SLP) gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $39.70, but opened at $40.90. Simulations Plus shares last traded at $41.45, with a volume of 4,917 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Simulations Plus in a report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $47.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Simulations Plus from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Simulations Plus in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Craig Hallum restated a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Simulations Plus in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Finally, JMP Securities began coverage on Simulations Plus in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.00.

Simulations Plus Stock Up 1.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $806.60 million, a PE ratio of 83.94 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average is $45.24 and its 200 day moving average is $43.86.

Simulations Plus (NASDAQ:SLP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 2nd. The technology company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $18.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.92 million. Simulations Plus had a net margin of 14.36% and a return on equity of 7.80%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.20 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Simulations Plus, Inc. will post 0.5 EPS for the current year.

Simulations Plus Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 29th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 29th. Simulations Plus’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Insider Transactions at Simulations Plus

In other news, Director Walter S. Woltosz sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.95, for a total value of $919,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,580,857 shares in the company, valued at $164,540,379.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Walter S. Woltosz sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.95, for a total transaction of $919,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,580,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $164,540,379.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel L. Weiner sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.32, for a total transaction of $36,990.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $345,683.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 44,500 shares of company stock valued at $2,072,198 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 20.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Simulations Plus

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Simulations Plus by 0.4% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,118,878 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $46,657,000 after purchasing an additional 5,009 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Simulations Plus by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,259,176 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $101,098,000 after purchasing an additional 251,299 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Simulations Plus by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 80,884 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,620,000 after buying an additional 8,998 shares during the last quarter. Cook Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Simulations Plus by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Cook Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 15,624 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Simulations Plus during the fourth quarter worth approximately $358,000. 78.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Simulations Plus

Simulations Plus, Inc develops drug discovery and development software for modeling and simulation, and prediction of molecular properties utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning based technology worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Software and Services. It offers GastroPlus, which simulates the absorption and drug interaction of compounds administered to humans and animals; and DDDPlus and MembranePlus simulation products.