Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.44.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer lowered Aspen Aerogels from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. B. Riley decreased their price target on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $35.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. TD Cowen upgraded Aspen Aerogels to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen raised Aspen Aerogels to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Barclays restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $7.00 target price (down from $13.00) on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research note on Thursday, May 29th.

Aspen Aerogels Stock Down 0.3%

ASPN opened at $5.93 on Thursday. Aspen Aerogels has a fifty-two week low of $4.16 and a fifty-two week high of $33.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $486.50 million, a P/E ratio of -1.70 and a beta of 2.68. The company's 50-day moving average is $5.75 and its 200 day moving average is $8.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.22 and a quick ratio of 3.53.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The construction company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.01. Aspen Aerogels had a negative net margin of 65.47% and a positive return on equity of 6.69%. The firm had revenue of $78.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $82.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.02) EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Aspen Aerogels will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Donald R. Young bought 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.35 per share, for a total transaction of $107,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 550,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,079.60. This trade represents a 3.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASPN. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Palogic Value Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 226.9% in the 1st quarter. Palogic Value Management L.P. now owns 425,000 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,716,000 after purchasing an additional 295,000 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels during the 1st quarter valued at $307,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels in the first quarter worth $282,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 89.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,274,356 shares of the construction company's stock worth $8,143,000 after buying an additional 602,586 shares in the last quarter. 97.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Aspen Aerogels

Aspen Aerogels, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aerogel insulation products primarily for use in the energy infrastructure and sustainable insulation materials markets in the United States, Asia, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. It operates in two segments, Energy Industrial and Thermal Barrier.

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