Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $43.80 and traded as high as $52.36. Andersons shares last traded at $51.73, with a volume of 197,326 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ANDE has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised Andersons from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $50.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Andersons presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.33.

Andersons Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17 and a beta of 0.78.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. Andersons had a net margin of 0.63% and a return on equity of 5.83%. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.80 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Andersons, Inc. will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

Andersons Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Andersons’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Andersons’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Anne G. Rex sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.36, for a total value of $154,080.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 23,549 shares in the company, valued at $1,209,476.64. This trade represents a 11.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John T. Stout, Jr. sold 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.77, for a total transaction of $647,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,731,240.57. The trade was a 27.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 20,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,076,205 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Andersons

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Andersons in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Andersons by 33,600.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Andersons by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Andersons by 227.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,954 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $109,000 after buying an additional 2,053 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new stake in Andersons in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.