Ashford Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI)

Ashford Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI - Free Report) by 36.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 797,675 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 211,675 shares during the period. Atlas Energy Solutions accounts for approximately 2.1% of Ashford Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Ashford Capital Management Inc. owned 0.72% of Atlas Energy Solutions worth $17,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Atlas Energy Solutions by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,915,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $153,382,000 after purchasing an additional 773,035 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 31.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,908,810 shares of the company's stock worth $86,697,000 after buying an additional 935,410 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,390,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,197,000 after buying an additional 689,846 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,247,774 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,856,000 after buying an additional 363,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 898,253 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,923,000 after acquiring an additional 94,949 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 34.59% of the company's stock.

Atlas Energy Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of Atlas Energy Solutions stock opened at $13.26 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock's fifty day moving average is $14.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.45. Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.76 and a 52 week high of $26.86. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79 and a beta of 1.34.

Atlas Energy Solutions (NYSE:AESI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $297.59 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $291.13 million. Atlas Energy Solutions had a net margin of 8.78% and a return on equity of 11.01%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 54.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Atlas Energy Solutions Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.54%. Atlas Energy Solutions's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 322.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atlas Energy Solutions

In other news, major shareholder Gregory M. Shepard bought 32,155 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $19.04 per share, with a total value of $612,231.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,651,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $145,679,038.40. This trade represents a 0.42% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas G. Rogers purchased 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $13.27 per share, for a total transaction of $92,890.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $132,700. This represents a 233.33% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 48,790 shares of company stock valued at $834,038 in the last three months. Company insiders own 15.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AESI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Atlas Energy Solutions from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Atlas Energy Solutions from $22.00 to $17.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Benchmark cut their target price on Atlas Energy Solutions from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Atlas Energy Solutions from $21.00 to $17.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Atlas Energy Solutions from $22.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $19.81.

Atlas Energy Solutions Company Profile

Atlas Energy Solutions Inc engages in the production, processing, and sale of mesh and sand that are used as a proppant during the well completion process in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico. The company provides transportation and logistics, storage solutions, and contract labor services. It sells its products and services to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies, and oilfield services companies.

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