Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) Trading Up 7.2% – What’s Next?

Shares of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) shot up 7.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $25.98 and last traded at $25.90. 1,208,943 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 1,338,733 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.16.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on ASPN shares. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Barclays started coverage on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a report on Thursday, August 8th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Aspen Aerogels from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, B. Riley upgraded Aspen Aerogels to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.70.

Aspen Aerogels Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -58.50 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $25.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.82, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The construction company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $117.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $101.99 million. Aspen Aerogels had a net margin of 0.39% and a return on equity of 0.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 144.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.22) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Aspen Aerogels, Inc. will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aspen Aerogels

In other news, CFO Ricardo C. Rodriguez sold 32,465 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.14, for a total transaction of $978,495.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $626,610.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Aspen Aerogels news, CFO Ricardo C. Rodriguez sold 32,465 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.14, for a total value of $978,495.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $626,610.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Donald R. Young sold 63,355 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.03, for a total transaction of $1,902,550.65. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 483,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,523,709.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Aspen Aerogels during the first quarter valued at $1,181,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels during the 1st quarter valued at about $388,000. Comerica Bank bought a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,992,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,619,702 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $63,707,000 after acquiring an additional 175,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Aspen Aerogels during the 1st quarter worth approximately $851,000. Institutional investors own 97.64% of the company’s stock.

About Aspen Aerogels

Aspen Aerogels, Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aerogel insulation products primarily for use in the energy infrastructure and sustainable insulation materials markets in the United States, Asia, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. It operates in two segments, Energy Industrial and Thermal Barrier.