Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $22.44, but opened at $25.31. Aspen Aerogels shares last traded at $25.29, with a volume of 2,561,009 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ASPN shares. B. Riley upgraded shares of Aspen Aerogels to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a report on Wednesday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $27.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.70.

Aspen Aerogels Trading Down 11.7 %

The company has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.00 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 3.46 and a quick ratio of 2.82. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.32.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The construction company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $117.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $101.99 million. Aspen Aerogels had a return on equity of 0.74% and a net margin of 0.39%. Aspen Aerogels’s revenue was up 144.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.22) EPS. Research analysts predict that Aspen Aerogels, Inc. will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Aspen Aerogels

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASPN. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 37.5% in the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 4,593 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 1,252 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 10.3% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,310 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $341,000 after buying an additional 1,339 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 5,800 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 15.3% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 14,580 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Aspen Aerogels during the second quarter valued at about $84,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.64% of the company’s stock.

Aspen Aerogels Company Profile

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.