Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) Trading Down 4.2% - Time to Sell?

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 4.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $6.83 and last traded at $6.75. Approximately 663,973 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 67% from the average daily volume of 2,016,425 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer cut Aspen Aerogels from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $7.00 target price (down from $13.00) on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $18.44.

Aspen Aerogels Stock Up 1.8%

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $6.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.86. The company has a market cap of $572.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.00 and a beta of 2.65. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The construction company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $78.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $82.75 million. Aspen Aerogels had a negative net margin of 65.47% and a positive return on equity of 6.69%. Aspen Aerogels's revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.02) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Aspen Aerogels, Inc. will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aspen Aerogels

In other Aspen Aerogels news, CEO Donald R. Young acquired 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 550,856 shares in the company, valued at $2,947,079.60. This represents a 3.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels in the first quarter worth approximately $43,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of Aspen Aerogels during the 1st quarter worth $45,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Aspen Aerogels by 460.4% in the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 7,436 shares of the construction company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 6,109 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in Aspen Aerogels by 2,137.9% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,325 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 7,953 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in Aspen Aerogels during the first quarter valued at about $65,000. 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.