Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $6.55 and last traded at $6.60, with a volume of 1933584 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASPN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Craig Hallum cut their target price on Aspen Aerogels from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen raised shares of Aspen Aerogels to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Aspen Aerogels to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aspen Aerogels presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.11.

Aspen Aerogels Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $9.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.88. The company has a market cap of $541.48 million, a P/E ratio of 41.22 and a beta of 2.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The construction company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.11. Aspen Aerogels had a net margin of 2.95% and a return on equity of 7.49%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Aspen Aerogels, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sandia Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Aspen Aerogels during the 4th quarter worth about $89,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels in the fourth quarter worth approximately $129,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 54.0% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 11,395 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 3,998 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Aspen Aerogels in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Finally, Connors Investor Services Inc. acquired a new position in Aspen Aerogels in the 4th quarter worth approximately $168,000. 97.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.