Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Andersons (NASDAQ:ANDE - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

Separately, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Andersons in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Andersons Stock Down 0.6 %

Andersons stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.55. 229,502 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 213,148. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Andersons has a fifty-two week low of $39.25 and a fifty-two week high of $61.46. The company's fifty day moving average price is $42.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.16. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59 and a beta of 0.58.

Andersons Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $0.195 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $0.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Andersons's payout ratio is currently 22.29%.

Insider Activity at Andersons

In other Andersons news, insider Joseph E. Mcneely sold 2,382 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.73, for a total value of $113,692.86. Following the sale, the insider now owns 49,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,367,455.73. This trade represents a 4.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 5.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Andersons

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Andersons by 23.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 652,579 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,720,000 after purchasing an additional 124,468 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Andersons by 221.3% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 135,678 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,498,000 after acquiring an additional 93,453 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Andersons by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,166,781 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $47,278,000 after acquiring an additional 84,133 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Andersons by 150.2% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 139,626 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,658,000 after acquiring an additional 83,817 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in Andersons during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,744,000. 87.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Andersons

The Andersons, Inc operates in trade, renewables, and nutrient and industrial sectors in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Switzerland, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Trade, Renewables, and Nutrient & Industrial. The company's Trade segment operates grain elevators; stores commodities; and provides grain marketing, risk management, and origination services, as well as sells commodities, such as corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, ethanol, and corn oil.