The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 764,400 shares, an increase of 11.8% from the March 31st total of 683,800 shares. Approximately 2.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 177,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Andersons Stock Performance

Shares of Andersons stock opened at $56.91 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $55.80 and a 200 day moving average of $53.69. Andersons has a 12 month low of $35.69 and a 12 month high of $61.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The basic materials company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.48. Andersons had a return on equity of 8.19% and a net margin of 0.69%. The company had revenue of $3.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. Andersons’s revenue for the quarter was down 31.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Andersons will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Andersons Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st were given a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 28th. Andersons’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Andersons in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Andersons from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Andersons has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.50.

Insider Activity at Andersons

In other Andersons news, Director Michael J. Anderson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total value of $177,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 209,968 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,388,112. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Andersons news, CEO Patrick E. Bowe sold 1,338 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.12, for a total value of $73,750.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 89,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,923,042.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael J. Anderson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.00, for a total value of $177,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 209,968 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,388,112. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,245 shares of company stock valued at $2,534,099. 5.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Andersons

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Andersons by 65.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 524 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in Andersons in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Andersons in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Andersons during the 1st quarter worth about $66,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Andersons during the 4th quarter worth about $110,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.06% of the company’s stock.

Andersons Company Profile

The Andersons, Inc operates in trade, renewables, and nutrient and industrial sectors in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Switzerland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Trade, Renewables, and Nutrient & Industrial. The company's Trade segment operates grain elevators; stores commodities; and provides grain marketing, risk management, and origination services, as well as sells commodities, such as corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, ethanol, and corn oil.