Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) Short Interest Down 13.0% in January

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 7,597,323 shares, a drop of 13.0% from the January 15th total of 8,730,143 shares. Approximately 9.5% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,562,950 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,562,950 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 9.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on ASPN shares. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on Aspen Aerogels from $10.00 to $5.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Zacks Research raised Aspen Aerogels from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays reduced their target price on Aspen Aerogels from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $10.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 1,094.8% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,791 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 4,390 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Aspen Aerogels by 67.3% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 6,343 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 2,551 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels in the first quarter worth about $43,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Aspen Aerogels by 184.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,235 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 4,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Olympiad Research LP purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the third quarter worth approximately $70,000. 97.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aspen Aerogels Price Performance

Shares of Aspen Aerogels stock opened at $3.56 on Wednesday. Aspen Aerogels has a 12-month low of $2.80 and a 12-month high of $9.78. The firm has a market cap of $294.22 million, a PE ratio of -0.96 and a beta of 2.99. The company has a quick ratio of 3.33, a current ratio of 3.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.26.

About Aspen Aerogels

Aspen Aerogels, Inc, headquartered in Northborough, Massachusetts, develops and manufactures high-performance aerogel insulation materials and custom engineered solutions. Founded in 2001 as a spin-out from Department of Energy research, the company pursued an initial public offering on the NYSE in 2014 under the ticker ASPN. Aspen Aerogels combines proprietary aerogel formulations with advanced manufacturing processes to deliver products known for their low thermal conductivity, lightweight construction and robust mechanical properties.

The company’s product portfolio spans blanket insulation, boards, and custom shapes built around several proprietary brands, including Pyrogel, Cryogel and Spaceloft.