Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $76.10 and last traded at $75.7380, with a volume of 176123 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $73.07.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on ANDE shares. Wall Street Zen cut Andersons from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Andersons from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.33.

Andersons Price Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39 and a beta of 0.68.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.48. Andersons had a return on equity of 7.76% and a net margin of 0.87%.The company had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Andersons Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st were paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Andersons’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Patrick E. Bowe sold 15,000 shares of Andersons stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.33, for a total value of $1,114,950.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 129,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,653,608.75. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director John T. Stout, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of Andersons stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.30, for a total value of $175,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 23,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,647,902.30. The trade was a 9.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 56,892 shares of company stock worth $4,125,125. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Andersons

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in shares of Andersons in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Andersons in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in Andersons during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Andersons by 33,600.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Andersons by 95.2% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.06% of the company’s stock.

Andersons Company Profile

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.