Astec Industries, Inc. $ASTE Shares Purchased by Dean Capital Management

Dean Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) by 33.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,913 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,623 shares during the period. Astec Industries comprises 1.6% of Dean Capital Management’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Dean Capital Management’s holdings in Astec Industries were worth $4,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astec Industries by 49.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 539,935 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,510,000 after purchasing an additional 178,545 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Astec Industries by 1,800.5% during the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 142,388 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,853,000 after buying an additional 134,896 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Astec Industries by 77,508.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 131,935 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,500,000 after buying an additional 131,765 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Astec Industries by 29.9% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 494,814 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,629,000 after buying an additional 113,765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Astec Industries by 188.2% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 148,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,111,000 after acquiring an additional 96,883 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Astec Industries in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Astec Industries has an average rating of “Buy”.

Insider Buying and Selling at Astec Industries

In related news, 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 transaction of $59,543.25. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Astec Industries Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of ASTE stock opened at $52.88 on Monday. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.65 and a 52-week high of $64.37. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.48, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $54.07 and its 200-day moving average is $48.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 2.49.

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

Astec Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 9th. Astec Industries’s payout ratio is currently 30.95%.

Astec Industries 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.