Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Shares of The Andersons, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANDE) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $72.18 and last traded at $71.3160, with a volume of 131422 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.64.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Andersons from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Andersons in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Andersons from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Andersons in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.33.

Andersons Stock Down 1.6%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $65.35 and a 200 day moving average of $53.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.71 and a beta of 0.74.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.56 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.69 billion. Andersons had a net margin of 0.87% and a return on equity of 7.76%. The business’s revenue was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Andersons, Inc. will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

Andersons Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. Andersons’s payout ratio is 28.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Andersons

In related news, VP Anne G. Rex sold 2,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.16, for a total value of $170,979.84. Following the sale, the vice president owned 23,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,552,697.64. The trade was a 9.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian K. Walz sold 8,975 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.74, for a total transaction of $634,891.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 11,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $842,725.62. This trade represents a 42.97% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,299 shares of company stock worth $2,051,771. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Andersons

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Andersons in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Andersons during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Andersons in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Andersons by 33,600.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Andersons by 95.2% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 820 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during 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.