Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) shares hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $6.60 and last traded at $6.79, with a volume of 285036 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $6.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASPN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $22.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $25.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Aspen Aerogels to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Aspen Aerogels currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.11.

Aspen Aerogels Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.48, a current ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.72 and its 200 day moving average is $15.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $569.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.22 and a beta of 2.28.

Aspen Aerogels (NYSE:ASPN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The construction company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.11. Aspen Aerogels had a net margin of 2.95% and a return on equity of 7.49%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Aspen Aerogels, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aspen Aerogels

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abbot Financial Management Inc. lifted its position in Aspen Aerogels by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. now owns 30,255 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Aspen Aerogels by 5.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 29,418 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Aspen Aerogels by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 50,871 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,724 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 36,938 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Aspen Aerogels by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 35,782 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 2,118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.64% of the company’s stock.

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.