Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Benchmark Analyst Says

Key Points

• Benchmark raised its target on Andersons from $75 to $90 and kept a "buy" rating, implying about a 28.5% upside from the prior close.
• Andersons reported a quarterly EPS beat ($1.12 vs. $0.70 est.) while revenue missed slightly; the stock traded near $70.06, with a market cap of ~$2.39B, a PE of 18.66 and a consensus target of $73.33 ("Moderate Buy").
• Company insiders sold meaningful shares recently (95,765 shares worth ~$7.2M) even as large institutional investors significantly increased stakes; institutions now own about 87.06% of the stock.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by research analysts at Benchmark from $75.00 to $90.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Benchmark's target price would indicate a potential upside of 28.46% from the company's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Andersons from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Andersons from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.33.

Andersons Price Performance

NASDAQ ANDE traded up $1.83 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $70.06. 122,540 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 326,125. The stock has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66 and a beta of 0.69. Andersons has a one year low of $31.53 and a one year high of $82.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $71.14 and a 200-day moving average of $60.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The basic materials company reported $1.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.71 billion. Andersons had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 1.17%.Andersons's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.12 EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Anne G. Rex sold 2,624 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.16, for a total value of $170,979.84. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 23,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,552,697.64. This represents a 9.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John T. Stout, Jr. sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.30, for a total value of $175,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 23,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,647,902.30. This trade represents a 9.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 95,765 shares of company stock worth $7,205,438. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ANDE. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Andersons in the 4th quarter valued at $53,469,000. Ophir Asset Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Andersons during the 4th quarter worth $38,746,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Andersons by 354.7% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 731,019 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $38,868,000 after buying an additional 570,245 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Andersons by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 637,342 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,875,000 after buying an additional 287,304 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in Andersons by 162.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 438,219 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $17,445,000 after buying an additional 271,451 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.06% of the company's stock.

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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