Short Interest in The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) Decreases By 24.6%

Key Points

• Short interest in The Andersons fell by 24.6% in April to 706,748 shares (about 2.2% of shares outstanding), leaving a days-to-cover ratio of 2.6.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.04, beating the $1.56 consensus, but revenue declined 18.8% year-over-year to $2.54 billion and missed estimates; it also paid a $0.20 quarterly dividend (1.0% yield).
• Insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 59,299 shares in the last 90 days worth $4.31 million (insiders own 4.30% of stock), while institutional ownership stands at roughly 87.06%.

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 706,748 shares, a drop of 24.6% from the March 31st total of 936,885 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 275,176 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Andersons Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of ANDE opened at $76.59 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Andersons has a 12 month low of $31.03 and a 12 month high of $77.54. The stock's 50 day moving average is $70.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.76. The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.35 and a beta of 0.68.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.56 by $0.48. Andersons had a return on equity of 7.76% and a net margin of 0.87%.The company had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. Andersons's quarterly revenue was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Andersons Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 1st. Andersons's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.57%.

Insider Transactions at Andersons

In related news, Director Patrick E. Bowe sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.33, for a total transaction of $1,114,950.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 129,875 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,653,608.75. This trade represents a 10.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Brian K. Walz sold 8,975 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.74, for a total value of $634,891.50. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 11,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $842,725.62. This trade represents a 42.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 59,299 shares of company stock valued at $4,309,669. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Andersons

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Andersons in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Andersons in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Andersons in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Andersons by 33,600.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Andersons by 95.2% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 87.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ANDE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Andersons from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Andersons from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Monday, April 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Andersons has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.33.

About Andersons

The Andersons, Inc operates as a diversified agriculture company offering a broad range of products and services to farmers, retailers and industrial customers. Through its Grain Group, the company purchases, stores, merchandises and transports corn, soybeans and other commodities, while its Renewables Group produces ethanol and distillers grains at multiple plants in the U.S. The Rail Group provides locomotive leasing, railcar repair and related maintenance services, and the Horticulture Group supplies turf, specialty and horticultural products to landscaping professionals and consumer lawn and garden retailers.

Founded in 1947 and headquartered in Maumee, Ohio, The Andersons has grown from a regional grain elevator operator into an integrated agribusiness platform.

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