American Century Companies Inc. Has $32.35 Million Position in Astec Industries, Inc. $ASTE

American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Astec Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTE) by 24.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 672,030 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 132,095 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 2.94% of Astec Industries worth $32,345,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ASTE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Astec Industries by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,513,520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $120,976,000 after acquiring an additional 34,535 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Astec Industries by 2.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 578,228 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $24,109,000 after purchasing an additional 11,365 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Astec Industries by 29.9% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 494,814 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,629,000 after purchasing an additional 113,765 shares during the period. Harvey Partners LLC lifted its stake in Astec Industries by 0.8% during the second quarter. Harvey Partners LLC now owns 337,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $14,085,000 after purchasing an additional 2,845 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its holdings in Astec Industries by 8.6% during the second quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 216,066 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,008,000 after purchasing an additional 17,056 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.16% of the company’s stock.

Astec Industries Price Performance

Shares of Astec Industries stock opened at $57.87 on Friday. Astec Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.65 and a 1-year high of $64.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $52.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $48.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.49, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.38.

Astec Industries (NASDAQ:ASTE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The industrial products company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.32. Astec Industries had a return on equity of 11.35% and a net margin of 2.75%.The business had revenue of $400.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.21 million.

Astec Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 9th. Astec Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 30.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Edward Terrell Gilbert, Jr. sold 975 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.07, for a total value of $59,543.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $539,125.96. This trade represents a 9.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASTE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Astec Industries from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Astec Industries in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Astec Industries from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Astec Industries currently has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Astec Industries Profile

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.