10,100 Shares in Astec Industries, Inc. $ASTE Bought by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 10,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $544,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of ASTE. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astec Industries by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 12,236 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $587,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Astec Industries by 1.5% in the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 39,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,916,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Astec Industries by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 17,934 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $777,000 after buying an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in Astec Industries by 8.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 852 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Astec Industries by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the period. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ASTE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen cut Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Longbow Research upgraded Astec Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Freedom Capital raised Astec Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astec Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Astec Industries currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Astec Industries Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of ASTE opened at $56.00 on Wednesday. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.82 and a 1 year high of $65.69. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.67. The stock has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 50.00, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.34.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.88 by ($0.34). The company had revenue of $396.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $393.24 million. Astec Industries had a return on equity of 10.09% and a net margin of 1.75%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Astec Industries, Inc. will post 3.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astec Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Astec Industries’s payout ratio is currently 46.43%.

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.