Short Interest in Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI) Expands By 7.9%

Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,180,000 shares, a growth of 7.9% from the August 31st total of 8,510,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 894,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.3 days. Currently, 14.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atlas Energy Solutions

In other news, major shareholder Stacy Hock sold 8,571 shares of Atlas Energy Solutions stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.89, for a total transaction of $170,477.19. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 960,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,103,529.51. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Atlas Energy Solutions news, major shareholder Stacy Hock sold 8,571 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.89, for a total value of $170,477.19. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 960,459 shares in the company, valued at $19,103,529.51. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Gregory M. Shepard purchased 3,248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $21.68 per share, for a total transaction of $70,416.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 7,503,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $162,669,310.96. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,713 shares of company stock valued at $510,403. Corporate insiders own 24.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atlas Energy Solutions

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 154.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 336,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,791,000 after acquiring an additional 204,176 shares during the last quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Atlas Energy Solutions by 404.5% during the fourth quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC now owns 66,674 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 53,459 shares during the period. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 42.4% in the fourth quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC now owns 194,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,357,000 after purchasing an additional 58,004 shares during the period. Palogic Value Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,464,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Atlas Energy Solutions by 127.7% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,136,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,564,000 after buying an additional 637,249 shares during the last quarter. 34.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Atlas Energy Solutions Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AESI opened at $21.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $20.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.95 and a beta of 0.56. Atlas Energy Solutions has a 52 week low of $15.55 and a 52 week high of $24.93.

Atlas Energy Solutions (NYSE:AESI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.31 by ($0.18). Atlas Energy Solutions had a net margin of 13.71% and a return on equity of 16.75%. The company had revenue of $287.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $270.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 77.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Atlas Energy Solutions will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Atlas Energy Solutions Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Atlas Energy Solutions’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.20%. Atlas Energy Solutions’s payout ratio is currently 51.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Atlas Energy Solutions from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Tudor Pickering raised Atlas Energy Solutions to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Atlas Energy Solutions from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Atlas Energy Solutions in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. started coverage on Atlas Energy Solutions in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $26.25.

About Atlas Energy Solutions

Atlas Energy Solutions Inc engages in the production, processing, and sale of mesh and sand that are used as a proppant during the well completion process in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico. The company provides transportation and logistics, storage solutions, and contract labor services. It sells its products and services to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies, and oilfield services companies.