Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Hits New 1-Year High - Here's Why

Key Points

• 52-week high: Andersons shares hit a new 52-week high of $76.10 intraday (last $75.74) after reporting an EPS beat of $2.04 versus $1.56 and drawing some analyst upgrades and price-target increases.
• Dividend and fundamentals: The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.20 (annualized $0.80, yield 1.1%); it has a $2.58B market cap, P/E of 27.04, debt-to-equity of 0.43, and the stock is trading above its 50- ($69.33) and 200-day ($58.30) moving averages.
• Insider and institutional activity: Insiders sold 44,299 shares (~$3.17M) in the past three months (insiders own 4.3%), while institutional investors hold about 87.1% of the company.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on ANDE shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Andersons from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Andersons from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Andersons in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.33.

Andersons Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.04 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50 day moving average is $69.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.69 billion. Andersons had a net margin of 0.87% and a return on equity of 7.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share.

Andersons Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Andersons's payout ratio is presently 28.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Andersons

In other Andersons news, VP Brian K. Walz sold 8,975 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.74, for a total value of $634,891.50. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 11,913 shares in the company, valued at $842,725.62. The trade was a 42.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Anne G. Rex sold 2,624 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.16, for a total transaction of $170,979.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 23,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,552,697.64. This trade represents a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 44,299 shares of company stock worth $3,166,721. Insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Andersons

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Andersons in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Andersons in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in Andersons in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Andersons by 33,600.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Andersons by 95.2% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 87.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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