AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALOT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALOT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,400 shares, an increase of 33.3% from the April 30th total of 9,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 14,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

AstroNova Trading Down 3.3%

NASDAQ ALOT traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.06. 7,006 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,200. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $68.82 million, a P/E ratio of 18.12 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.08. AstroNova has a one year low of $7.53 and a one year high of $18.25.

AstroNova (NASDAQ:ALOT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 14th. The business services provider reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $37.36 million during the quarter. AstroNova had a return on equity of 5.21% and a net margin of 2.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen began coverage on shares of AstroNova in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. They set a "buy" rating for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling at AstroNova

In related news, Director Richard S. Warzala purchased 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.07 per share, with a total value of $161,400.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 60,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $487,306.95. This represents a 49.52% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 17.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstroNova

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ALOT. Mink Brook Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in AstroNova during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,507,000. Peapod Lane Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstroNova during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,536,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AstroNova by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 96,063 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $883,000 after purchasing an additional 12,519 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in AstroNova by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 70,535 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in AstroNova by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 65,359 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $785,000 after purchasing an additional 8,314 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 43.02% of the company's stock.

AstroNova Company Profile

AstroNova, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes specialty printers, and data acquisition and analysis systems in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, Central and South America, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Product Identification (PI) and Test & Measurement (T&M).