Poplar Forest Capital LLC Sells 40,417 Shares of Oshkosh Co. (NYSE:OSK)

Poplar Forest Capital LLC cut its stake in Oshkosh Co. (NYSE:OSK) by 17.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 197,526 shares of the company’s stock after selling 40,417 shares during the quarter. Oshkosh comprises about 3.1% of Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Poplar Forest Capital LLC’s holdings in Oshkosh were worth $21,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp purchased a new position in shares of Oshkosh in the fourth quarter valued at $441,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Oshkosh during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Foundry Partners LLC purchased a new position in Oshkosh during the fourth quarter worth about $6,315,000. North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Oshkosh by 180.5% during the fourth quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,138 shares of the company’s stock worth $774,000 after buying an additional 4,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC grew its position in Oshkosh by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 404 shares in the last quarter. 92.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Oshkosh Trading Up 0.6 %

OSK traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $121.25. 517,431 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 492,385. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $117.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Oshkosh Co. has a 52 week low of $72.09 and a 52 week high of $127.98.

Oshkosh (NYSE:OSK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. Oshkosh had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 6.19%. Oshkosh’s quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Oshkosh Co. will post 10.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Oshkosh Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 15th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a positive change from Oshkosh’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. Oshkosh’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Oshkosh

In related news, SVP Anupam Khare sold 4,234 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.38, for a total value of $471,582.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,503,518.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on OSK. UBS Group boosted their target price on Oshkosh from $117.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. TheStreet upgraded Oshkosh from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Oshkosh from $122.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Oshkosh from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Oshkosh from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Oshkosh currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.25.

Oshkosh Company Profile

Oshkosh Corporation provides purpose-built vehicles and equipment worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Access, Defense, and Vocational segment. Its Access Equipment segment design and manufacture aerial work platform and telehandlers for use in construction, industrial, and maintenance applications; offers financing and leasing solutions including rental fleet loans, leases, and floor plan and retail financing; and towing and recovery equipment, which includes carriers, wreckers, and rotators, as well as provides equipment installation and sale of chassis and service parts.