Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) Insider Michael Paul Norris Purchases 1,000 Shares of Stock

Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) insider Michael Paul Norris purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.46 per share, with a total value of $33,460.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 15,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $531,545.56. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Astec Industries Price Performance

Shares of ASTE stock opened at $33.79 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.97 and a 12-month high of $56.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $41.12 and a 200-day moving average of $36.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $769.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.00 and a beta of 1.40.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.47). Astec Industries had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 7.44%. The business had revenue of $309.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.27 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Astec Industries, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Astec Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Astec Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $37.00 in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd.

Institutional Trading of Astec Industries

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Astec Industries by 32.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of Astec Industries by 8.2% during the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 5,749 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Astec Industries by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 50,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,356,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in Astec Industries by 22.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 6,075 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 1,120 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Astec Industries in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astec Industries Company Profile

Astec Industries, Inc designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets equipment and components used primarily in road building and related construction activities worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Infrastructure Solutions and Materials Solutions. The Infrastructure Solutions segment offers asphalt plants and related components, heaters, concrete dust control systems, asphalt pavers, vaporizers, concrete material handling systems, screeds, heat recovery units, paste back-fill plants, asphalt storage tanks, hot oil heaters, bagging plants, fuel storage tanks, industrial and asphalt burners and systems, custom batch plants, material transfer vehicles, soil stabilizing-reclaiming machinery, blower trucks and trailers, milling machines, soil remediation plants, wood chippers and grinders, pump trailers, concrete batch plants, control systems, liquid terminals, storage equipment and related parts, construction and retrofits, polymer plants, and concrete mixers, as well as engineering and environmental permitting services.