Zimmer Partners LP Acquires New Shares in GMS Inc. (NYSE:GMS)

Zimmer Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of GMS Inc. (NYSE:GMS) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,460,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of GMS by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 42,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,470,000 after acquiring an additional 5,828 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in GMS by 131.1% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 372 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of GMS by 40.7% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of GMS by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 44,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,682,000 after purchasing an additional 564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of GMS in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,673,000. Institutional investors own 95.28% of the company’s stock.

GMS Price Performance

NYSE GMS traded down $3.63 on Thursday, reaching $92.60. The company had a trading volume of 317,236 shares, compared to its average volume of 377,209. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60 and a beta of 1.63. GMS Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.58 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $88.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.13.

GMS (NYSE:GMS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.04 by ($0.11). GMS had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 5.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that GMS Inc. will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Craig D. Apolinsky sold 7,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.32, for a total value of $713,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 10,671 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $963,804.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GMS shares. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of GMS from $112.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 1st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of GMS from $93.00 to $81.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of GMS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on GMS from $92.00 to $85.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on GMS from $105.00 to $97.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.38.

GMS Profile

GMS Inc distributes wallboard, ceilings, steel framing and complementary construction products in the United States and Canada. The company offers ceilings products, including suspended mineral fibers, soft fibers, and metal ceiling systems primarily used in offices, hotels, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, and various other commercial and institutional buildings.