Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Separately, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Andersons in a research note on Wednesday.

Andersons Stock Down 3.4 %

ANDE traded down $1.64 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $46.17. 523,583 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 277,599. The firm has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 0.58. Andersons has a 12-month low of $39.25 and a 12-month high of $61.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $41.85 and a 200 day moving average of $45.95.

Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $3.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. Andersons had a return on equity of 7.71% and a net margin of 1.01%. Analysts predict that Andersons will post 3.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Andersons

In other Andersons news, VP Weston Heide sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.00, for a total value of $38,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 16,104 shares in the company, valued at $772,992. This represents a 4.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph E. Mcneely sold 2,382 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.73, for a total transaction of $113,692.86. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 49,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,367,455.73. The trade was a 4.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Andersons

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Andersons by 6.2% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Andersons by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,866 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Peoples Bank KS increased its stake in Andersons by 250.0% in the 4th quarter. Peoples Bank KS now owns 700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Andersons by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,710 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Andersons by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 18,559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $752,000 after acquiring an additional 634 shares during the period. 87.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Andersons

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.