Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $52.99 and traded as high as $61.53. Astec Industries shares last traded at $61.2340, with a volume of 673,713 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on ASTE. Weiss Ratings cut Astec Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Zacks Research cut Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Freedom Capital upgraded Astec Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Longbow Research raised Astec Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Astec Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Astec Industries Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $53.88 and a 200 day moving average of $52.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 54.67, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.37.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $396.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $393.24 million. Astec Industries had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 10.09%. Sell-side analysts predict that Astec Industries, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Astec Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. Astec Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astec Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Astec Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Astec Industries by 8,994.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Astec Industries by 412.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Astec Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $127,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astec Industries in the first quarter valued at about $210,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

About Astec Industries

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.