Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Alto Ingredients in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Alto Ingredients from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Alto Ingredients Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ALTO opened at $4.39 on Thursday. Alto Ingredients has a 52 week low of $0.76 and a 52 week high of $4.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.99. The company has a quick ratio of 2.30, a current ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $339.52 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44 and a beta of 0.60.

Alto Ingredients (NASDAQ:ALTO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $231.97 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.83 million. Alto Ingredients had a return on equity of 3.10% and a net margin of 1.45%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alto Ingredients will post -0.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Alto Ingredients

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ALTO. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Alto Ingredients by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 275,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 21,626 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Alto Ingredients by 2,539,250.0% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 50,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 50,785 shares during the last quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Alto Ingredients by 67.7% during the second quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 50,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 20,383 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alto Ingredients by 5.9% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 487,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 27,007 shares during the period. Finally, Peapod Lane Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alto Ingredients by 1.1% during the third quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC now owns 1,235,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after buying an additional 13,282 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Alto Ingredients

Here are the key news stories impacting Alto Ingredients this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q4 results and rally — Alto reported a surprise profitable quarter (better-than-expected EPS) that sparked a multi-day rally and pushed shares to a new 52-week high, driving heavy volume and momentum. Alto Ingredients Stock Hits New 52-Week High: What’s Driving The Rally?
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q4 detail: management cited improved crush margins, higher‑margin exports, lower operating costs, and recognition of clean-fuel production tax credits—factors that supported the upside and the bullish outlook. Alto Ingredients: Buy On Strong Quarter And Multiple Tailwinds
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and model upgrades — HC Wainwright raised FY2026 estimates (now projecting positive EPS for FY2026 and FY2027), providing fresh buy-side research supporting the rally. MarketBeat ALTO Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow — traders purchased ~18,207 call options in a single day, signaling aggressive speculative/bullish positioning that can amplify upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Tax-credit and structural tailwinds — management outlined a ~$15M target for 45Z tax credits amid expanded CO2 operations and cost cuts, which materially improves forward profitability if realized. Alto Ingredients outlines $15M 45Z tax credit target for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and momentum coverage — ALTO made Zacks’ Rank #1 momentum list, which can attract short-term traders but does not by itself change fundamentals. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for March 6th
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data looks odd — recent prints show zero short interest / NaN changes (likely a reporting glitch); this ambiguous data point shouldn’t be over‑interpreted.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term seasonality and operational risk — management noted Q1 may be pressured by seasonality and weather-related downtime, so short-term results could revert from Q4 strength. Alto Ingredients: Buy On Strong Quarter And Multiple Tailwinds
• Negative Sentiment: Broader analyst consensus still lagging — some consensus models previously showed FY2026 losses; while a few analysts have raised forecasts, the market will watch whether upgrades are sustained. MarketBeat ALTO Coverage

About Alto Ingredients

Alto Ingredients, Inc (NASDAQ: ALTO) is a diversified producer of alcohol-based products and specialty ingredients for industrial, food, beverage and personal care applications. The company’s core offering centers on ethanol produced for fuel markets, as well as an expanding portfolio of natural and organic alcohols, glycerin and other ingredient solutions. Alto’s product lines serve a range of end markets, including renewable fuels, confectionery, flavorings, cosmetics and sanitizers.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Alto Ingredients operates a network of production facilities across the United States.