Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) Short Interest Update

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,000,000 shares, a drop of 16.6% from the April 30th total of 8,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,990,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 8.9% of the company's shares are short sold.

Aspen Aerogels Price Performance

ASPN stock traded up $0.25 during trading on Friday, hitting $6.04. 1,263,857 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,009,712. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a current ratio of 2.93. Aspen Aerogels has a 52 week low of $4.16 and a 52 week high of $33.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $495.91 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75 and a beta of 2.68.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 2.95% and a return on equity of 7.49%. The company had revenue of $78.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $82.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.02) earnings per share. Aspen Aerogels's quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Aspen Aerogels will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASPN has been the topic of several analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on Aspen Aerogels from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Aspen Aerogels to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. TD Cowen upgraded Aspen Aerogels to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Donald R. Young acquired 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $5.35 per share, with a total value of $107,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 550,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,947,079.60. This represents a 3.77% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,373,159 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $27,944,000 after purchasing an additional 12,913 shares during the period. Oaktop Capital Management II L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Oaktop Capital Management II L.P. now owns 3,740,525 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $44,437,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares in the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 2,737,200 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $17,491,000 after acquiring an additional 347,500 shares during the period. AWM Investment Company Inc. raised its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 102.6% in the first quarter. AWM Investment Company Inc. now owns 2,449,221 shares of the construction company's stock worth $15,651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240,535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 25.5% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,018,631 shares of the construction company's stock worth $23,983,000 after buying an additional 409,862 shares during the last quarter. 97.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aspen Aerogels Company Profile

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.