Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Sells 32,074 Shares of Astec Industries, Inc. $ASTE

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lowered its position in Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) by 74.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 11,117 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 32,074 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Astec Industries were worth $599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in Astec Industries during the third quarter worth about $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Astec Industries by 8,994.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 1,529 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Astec Industries by 412.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Astec Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $127,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Astec Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $182,000. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astec Industries Stock Performance

Shares of ASTE opened at $55.82 on Tuesday. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.82 and a 1 year high of $65.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $53.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.96. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 49.84, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.34.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.34). Astec Industries had a return on equity of 10.09% and a net margin of 1.75%.The firm had revenue of $396.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $393.24 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Astec Industries, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Astec Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Astec Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on ASTE shares. Longbow Research upgraded Astec Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Freedom Capital upgraded Astec Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Astec Industries from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Astec Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Astec Industries Company Profile

Astec Industries, Inc is a designer and manufacturer of specialized equipment for infrastructure-related markets. Headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the company develops, engineers and produces machinery for asphalt road-building, aggregate processing, concrete production, underground mining, landscaping and utility installation. Astec’s product portfolio includes asphalt plants, portable crushers, conveyors, screening plants, mixers, continuous miners and related support equipment.

Organized into multiple operating segments—Roadbuilding; Aggregate & Mining; Energy; and Pavement Preservation & Maintenance—Astec Industries serves contractors and municipalities that build and maintain transportation, energy and utility networks.