Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) Insider Edward Terrell Gilbert, Jr. Sells 975 Shares

Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) insider Edward Terrell Gilbert, Jr. sold 975 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.07, for a total value of $59,543.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $539,125.96. The trade was a 9.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Astec Industries Trading Down 4.4%

ASTE stock traded down $2.65 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.87. The company had a trading volume of 225,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 235,602. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.65 and a 52 week high of $64.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $52.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.42. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.38.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.32. Astec Industries had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 2.75%.The business had revenue of $400.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.21 million.

Astec Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Astec Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.95%.

Institutional Trading of Astec Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASTE. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Astec Industries in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astec Industries by 8,994.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Astec Industries by 412.0% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,212 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Astec Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $127,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astec Industries during the third quarter worth about $136,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASTE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Astec Industries in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy”.

Astec Industries Company Profile

Astec Industries, Inc is a designer and manufacturer of specialized equipment for infrastructure-related markets. Headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the company develops, engineers and produces machinery for asphalt road-building, aggregate processing, concrete production, underground mining, landscaping and utility installation. Astec’s product portfolio includes asphalt plants, portable crushers, conveyors, screening plants, mixers, continuous miners and related support equipment.

Organized into multiple operating segments—Roadbuilding; Aggregate & Mining; Energy; and Pavement Preservation & Maintenance—Astec Industries serves contractors and municipalities that build and maintain transportation, energy and utility networks.