Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) Short Interest Up 12.6% in April

Key Points

• Short interest rose 12.6% in April to 7,017,875 shares (about 8.7% of shares sold short), leaving a days-to-cover ratio of roughly 5.3 days.
• Recent results and guidance were weak: Q4 EPS missed at ($0.34) vs. ($0.27) expected, revenue fell to $41.3M (down 66.4% year-over-year), and Q1 2026 guidance is negative (-0.280 to -0.240 EPS) with analysts forecasting about -0.76 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed-to-negative, with several firms cutting price targets and a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Hold" and a $4.25 price target; the stock trades near $3.70 with a $306M market cap.

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 7,017,875 shares, an increase of 12.6% from the March 31st total of 6,232,371 shares. Approximately 8.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,335,401 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.3 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peregrine Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the third quarter valued at $4,176,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the third quarter valued at $3,601,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,387,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,104,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 227.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 263,354 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $745,000 after buying an additional 182,931 shares in the last quarter. 97.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aspen Aerogels Stock Up 2.4%

NYSE ASPN opened at $3.70 on Friday. Aspen Aerogels has a 12 month low of $2.30 and a 12 month high of $9.78. The company has a current ratio of 3.90, a quick ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $306.06 million, a PE ratio of -0.78 and a beta of 2.90. The stock's 50 day moving average is $3.41 and its 200 day moving average is $3.93.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The construction company reported ($0.34) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.27) by ($0.07). Aspen Aerogels had a negative net margin of 143.69% and a negative return on equity of 13.91%. The company had revenue of $41.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $44.25 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 66.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Aspen Aerogels has set its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.280--0.240 EPS. Research analysts predict that Aspen Aerogels will post -0.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ASPN. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on Aspen Aerogels from $6.00 to $3.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays reduced their price target on Aspen Aerogels from $4.00 to $3.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research report on Friday, March 27th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Aspen Aerogels from $7.00 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Aspen Aerogels from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $4.25.

About Aspen Aerogels

Aspen Aerogels, Inc, headquartered in Northborough, Massachusetts, develops and manufactures high-performance aerogel insulation materials and custom engineered solutions. Founded in 2001 as a spin-out from Department of Energy research, the company pursued an initial public offering on the NYSE in 2014 under the ticker ASPN. Aspen Aerogels combines proprietary aerogel formulations with advanced manufacturing processes to deliver products known for their low thermal conductivity, lightweight construction and robust mechanical properties.

The company's product portfolio spans blanket insulation, boards, and custom shapes built around several proprietary brands, including Pyrogel, Cryogel and Spaceloft.

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