Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $56.14, but opened at $52.14. Andersons shares last traded at $52.68, with a volume of 60,738 shares.

The basic materials company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.07). Andersons had a return on equity of 8.19% and a net margin of 0.69%. The company had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.20 EPS. Andersons's quarterly revenue was down 30.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Andersons Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. Andersons's payout ratio is 25.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on ANDE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Andersons from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Andersons in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Andersons

In other news, CEO Patrick E. Bowe sold 34,597 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.46, for a total transaction of $1,918,749.62. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,515 shares in the company, valued at $4,631,741.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Andersons news, CEO Patrick E. Bowe sold 1,338 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.12, for a total transaction of $73,750.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 89,315 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,923,042.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick E. Bowe sold 34,597 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.46, for a total transaction of $1,918,749.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 83,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,631,741.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,245 shares of company stock worth $2,534,099. 5.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Andersons

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Andersons by 65.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 524 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in Andersons in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Andersons in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Andersons in the first quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in Andersons during the first quarter worth about $66,000. 87.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Andersons Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.72. The company has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $56.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.93.

About Andersons

The Andersons, Inc operates in trade, renewables, and nutrient and industrial sectors in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Switzerland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Trade, Renewables, and Nutrient & Industrial. The company's Trade segment operates grain elevators; stores commodities; and provides grain marketing, risk management, and origination services, as well as sells commodities, such as corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, ethanol, and corn oil.