The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) Short Interest Down 20.5% in April

The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 665,500 shares, a decrease of 20.5% from the March 31st total of 837,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 341,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Andersons Stock Down 9.8 %

Andersons stock traded down $3.41 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $31.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 915,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 252,048. Andersons has a 52-week low of $31.03 and a 52-week high of $55.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 9.50 and a beta of 0.73. The firm's 50 day moving average is $39.96 and its 200 day moving average is $42.68.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.20. Andersons had a net margin of 1.01% and a return on equity of 7.59%. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.16 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Andersons will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Andersons Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st were issued a dividend of $0.195 per share. This represents a $0.78 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 1st. Andersons's payout ratio is presently 23.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Andersons in a research note on Tuesday. They set a "market perform" rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Andersons from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Andersons in a report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Weston Heide sold 800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $38,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 16,104 shares in the company, valued at $772,992. This trade represents a 4.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Andersons

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ANDE. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Andersons by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,166,781 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $47,278,000 after purchasing an additional 84,133 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Andersons by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 751,624 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,456,000 after purchasing an additional 99,045 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Andersons by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 615,897 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $24,956,000 after acquiring an additional 61,250 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Andersons by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 463,548 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $18,783,000 after purchasing an additional 81,777 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Andersons by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 397,691 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $16,114,000 after acquiring an additional 38,020 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.06% of the company's stock.

Andersons Company Profile

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.