11,612 Shares in Astec Industries, Inc. $ASTE Acquired by State of Wyoming

State of Wyoming bought a new position in Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 11,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $711,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in shares of Astec Industries by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 65,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,262,000 after purchasing an additional 8,847 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astec Industries in the first quarter worth $1,526,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Astec Industries by 188.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 148,351 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,111,000 after buying an additional 96,883 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Astec Industries by 2.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 65,577 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,259,000 after buying an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in Astec Industries by 2.9% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 46,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,604,000 after buying an additional 1,305 shares in the last quarter. 93.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASTE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. Zacks Research cut shares of Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Astec Industries in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Two research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Astec Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASTE opened at $43.28 on Monday. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.47 and a 52-week high of $65.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $53.49 and a 200 day moving average of $54.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $996.31 million, a PE ratio of 50.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 2.52.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.10). Astec Industries had a net margin of 1.26% and a return on equity of 10.26%. The firm had revenue of $408.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $405.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Astec Industries, Inc. will post 3.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astec Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Astec Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 61.18%.

About Astec Industries

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.