Charles Edwin Iv Collins Sells 11,068 Shares of Argan (NYSE:AGX) Stock

Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) CEO Charles Edwin Iv Collins sold 11,068 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $621.61, for a total value of $6,879,979.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 30,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,847,215.20. This trade represents a 26.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Charles Edwin Iv Collins also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, April 20th, Charles Edwin Iv Collins sold 2,500 shares of Argan stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $610.00, for a total value of $1,525,000.00.

Argan Stock Performance

Shares of AGX stock opened at $657.14 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $504.22 and a 200-day moving average of $391.73. Argan, Inc. has a 52-week low of $141.25 and a 52-week high of $683.12. The stock has a market cap of $9.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.47 and a beta of 0.46.

Argan (NYSE:AGX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. The construction company reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $1.48. The business had revenue of $262.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $255.32 million. Argan had a net margin of 14.59% and a return on equity of 33.62%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.22 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Argan, Inc. will post 11.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Argan announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 8th that authorizes the company to repurchase $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Argan Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. Argan’s dividend payout ratio is 20.53%.

Argan News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Argan this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized buyback and steady dividend — Argan’s board approved a $200 million share repurchase program and the company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share (annualized $2.00). Buybacks plus a predictable payout support EPS accretion and signal management confidence. What Argan (AGX)’s Bigger Buyback And Steady Dividend Plan Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and constructive outlook — several firms (including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Zacks) have raised ratings or targets recently, lifting the consensus to a “Moderate Buy” view and supporting demand for the stock. AGX analyst coverage and ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Inaugural €500m green bond announced — a press release states ARGAN placed a €500M green bond due 2029 at a coupon ~3.779%. The filing could be positive for capital structure if it pertains to the same corporate group, but connection to NYSE:AGX is unclear, so impact is uncertain. ARGAN successfully placed an inaugural €500M green bond
• Neutral Sentiment: General hedge-fund/press mentions — roundups and broader coverage list Argan among many names; these items are informational but unlikely to drive material stock moves by themselves. Hedge Fund and Insider Trading News (InsiderMonkey)
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling — CEO Charles E. Collins disclosed sales totalling roughly $8.4M across recent filings (2,500 shares at ~$610 and 11,068 shares at ~$621.61) and director John R. Jr. Jeffrey sold ~3,636 shares (~$2.24M). Heavy insider sales can create short-term pressure or raise questions about timing/intent. Argan CEO Sells $1,525,000.00 in Stock (InsiderTrades)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Argan from $399.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Lake Street Capital boosted their price target on shares of Argan from $325.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Argan from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $550.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Argan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Argan from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $425.40.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Argan by 2,950.0% during the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 61 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Gunderson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Argan during the first quarter worth approximately $5,079,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of Argan during the first quarter worth approximately $539,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of Argan by 8.7% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,260 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of Argan during the first quarter valued at approximately $3,377,000. 79.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Argan

Argan, Inc (NYSE: AGX) is a holding company that provides professional technical and management services to the power generation and renewable energy industries. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the company delivers engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM), commissioning and operations and maintenance (O&M) services for a broad range of energy facilities. Argan focuses on projects for utility, industrial and municipally owned clients, helping to bring efficient thermal and renewable energy plants into operation and maintain optimal performance over the asset life cycle.

The company’s principal subsidiaries include Gemma Power Systems, which specializes in turnkey construction of combined-cycle, simple-cycle, cogeneration and renewable energy plants; Atlantic Projects Company, which provides electrical balance-of-plant, control systems, instrumentation and commissioning services; and Infrastructure Solutions, which offers industrial maintenance, outage support and modification services.