Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Issues Earnings Results

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Zacks reports. Andersons had a net margin of 0.63% and a return on equity of 5.83%.

Andersons Price Performance

Shares of Andersons stock traded down $2.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.01. The company had a trading volume of 355,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 284,916. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.77. Andersons has a 1-year low of $31.03 and a 1-year high of $70.06.

Andersons Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Andersons’s dividend payout ratio is 37.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ANDE has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Andersons from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Benchmark upgraded shares of Andersons to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Andersons in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.50.

Insider Transactions at Andersons

In related news, Director John T. Stout, Jr. sold 12,500 shares of Andersons stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.77, for a total value of $647,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,441 shares in the company, valued at $1,731,240.57. This trade represents a 27.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Andersons

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ANDE. Amundi grew its stake in Andersons by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 24,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,281,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P lifted its holdings in shares of Andersons by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 56,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,995,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Andersons by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,029 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 709 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Andersons by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,425 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $834,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in Andersons by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 29,604 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,088,000 after buying an additional 984 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.06% of the company’s stock.

About Andersons

The Andersons, Inc operates as a diversified agriculture company offering a broad range of products and services to farmers, retailers and industrial customers. Through its Grain Group, the company purchases, stores, merchandises and transports corn, soybeans and other commodities, while its Renewables Group produces ethanol and distillers grains at multiple plants in the U.S. The Rail Group provides locomotive leasing, railcar repair and related maintenance services, and the Horticulture Group supplies turf, specialty and horticultural products to landscaping professionals and consumer lawn and garden retailers.

Founded in 1947 and headquartered in Maumee, Ohio, The Andersons has grown from a regional grain elevator operator into an integrated agribusiness platform.