Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 1,761 Shares of Argan, Inc. $AGX

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its stake in Argan by 34.6%, selling 1,761 shares and leaving it with 3,335 shares worth about $1.046M, while several funds (Emerald, Thames, TD) established large new positions—institutions now own 79.43% of the stock.
• Directors John Ronald Jr. Jeffrey and William F. Leimkuhler sold 4,556 and 8,444 shares (roughly $2.46M and $5.05M), and in the last 90 days insiders have sold 64,543 shares worth $39,054,956, cutting insider ownership to 6.69%.
• Argan beat quarterly expectations with EPS $3.47 vs. $1.99 and revenue $262.05M (+12.7% YoY), and the board authorized a $200 million buyback (up to 2.5% of shares) while paying a $0.50 quarterly dividend (0.3% yield).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its position in Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX - Free Report) by 34.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,335 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,761 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Argan were worth $1,046,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust bought a new stake in Argan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,138,000. Thames Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Argan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,175,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Argan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $971,000. Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Argan by 125.3% during the 3rd quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,505 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,377,000 after acquiring an additional 6,955 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Argan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,629,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.43% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Argan

In other news, Director John Ronald Jr. Jeffrey sold 4,556 shares of Argan stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $539.85, for a total value of $2,459,556.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,636 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,962,894.60. This trade represents a 55.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director William F. Leimkuhler sold 8,444 shares of Argan stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $598.49, for a total value of $5,053,649.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 41,495 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,834,342.55. This trade represents a 16.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 64,543 shares of company stock worth $39,054,956. Corporate insiders own 6.69% of the company's stock.

Argan Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AGX opened at $703.06 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $9.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 72.18 and a beta of 0.61. Argan, Inc. has a 12-month low of $157.88 and a 12-month high of $704.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $527.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $406.51.

Argan (NYSE:AGX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 26th. The construction company reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $1.48. Argan had a return on equity of 33.62% and a net margin of 14.59%.The firm had revenue of $262.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $255.32 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Argan, Inc. will post 11.44 EPS for the current year.

Argan declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 8th that allows the company to repurchase $200.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 2.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Argan Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Argan's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Argan from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Argan in a research report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Argan from $399.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Argan from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $550.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Lake Street Capital raised their target price on Argan from $325.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Argan currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $425.40.

Argan Company Profile

Argan, Inc NYSE: AGX is a holding company that provides professional technical and management services to the power generation and renewable energy industries. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the company delivers engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM), commissioning and operations and maintenance (O&M) services for a broad range of energy facilities. Argan focuses on projects for utility, industrial and municipally owned clients, helping to bring efficient thermal and renewable energy plants into operation and maintain optimal performance over the asset life cycle.

The company's principal subsidiaries include Gemma Power Systems, which specializes in turnkey construction of combined-cycle, simple-cycle, cogeneration and renewable energy plants; Atlantic Projects Company, which provides electrical balance-of-plant, control systems, instrumentation and commissioning services; and Infrastructure Solutions, which offers industrial maintenance, outage support and modification services.

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