Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Zacks reports. Andersons had a return on equity of 5.83% and a net margin of 0.63%.

Andersons Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of Andersons stock traded down $2.02 on Tuesday, reaching $67.01. 355,505 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 284,916. The company has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31 and a beta of 0.77. Andersons has a 52 week low of $31.03 and a 52 week high of $70.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $58.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.77.

Andersons Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Andersons’s payout ratio is 37.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark upgraded shares of Andersons to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Andersons from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $50.00 to $65.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Andersons in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Andersons has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $62.50.

Insider Activity

In other Andersons news, Director John T. Stout, Jr. sold 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.77, for a total value of $647,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,731,240.57. This trade represents a 27.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Andersons

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rubric Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Andersons during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,469,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Andersons by 354.7% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 731,019 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $38,868,000 after buying an additional 570,245 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. grew its holdings in Andersons by 162.8% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 438,219 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,445,000 after buying an additional 271,451 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in Andersons by 262.8% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 273,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,047,000 after buying an additional 198,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in Andersons by 105.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 277,257 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,038,000 after acquiring an additional 142,578 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.06% of the company’s stock.

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.