Edward Terrell Gilbert, Jr. Sells 975 Shares of Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) Stock

Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) insider Edward Terrell Gilbert, Jr. sold 975 shares of Astec Industries stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.07, for a total transaction of $59,543.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $539,125.96. This trade represents a 9.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Astec Industries Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of ASTE stock opened at $57.87 on Friday. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.65 and a 52-week high of $64.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 2.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 34.45, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.44.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $400.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.21 million. Astec Industries had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 2.75%.

Astec Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Astec Industries’s payout ratio is currently 30.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASTE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Astec Industries in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Astec Industries has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Astec Industries by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 586,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,392,000 after acquiring an additional 75,989 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments boosted its holdings in shares of Astec Industries by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 21,006 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 2,371 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd increased its position in shares of Astec Industries by 45.9% during the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 7,302 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares during the last quarter. VARCOV Co. purchased a new stake in Astec Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $351,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its position in Astec Industries by 65.7% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 93,923 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,069,000 after buying an additional 37,246 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Astec Industries Company Profile

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.