AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALOT) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

AstroNova, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALOT) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 8,060 shares, a decline of 19.1% from the December 15th total of 9,963 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 20,983 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 20,983 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

AstroNova Price Performance

NASDAQ ALOT opened at $9.57 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $9.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.11 million, a PE ratio of -4.29 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.82. AstroNova has a twelve month low of $6.96 and a twelve month high of $12.80.

AstroNova (NASDAQ:ALOT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 10th. The business services provider reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter. AstroNova had a negative net margin of 11.20% and a positive return on equity of 2.48%. The firm had revenue of $39.17 million during the quarter. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.06 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstroNova

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in AstroNova during the second quarter worth about $140,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in AstroNova during the third quarter worth about $143,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AstroNova by 1.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 74,138 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares during the period. Peapod Lane Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstroNova by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC now owns 130,361 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after buying an additional 7,517 shares during the period. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstroNova by 10.2% in the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 140,739 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,441,000 after acquiring an additional 12,992 shares in the last quarter. 43.02% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of AstroNova in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

About AstroNova

AstroNova, Inc is a global provider of precision graphic communications equipment and identification solutions. The company operates two primary business segments: the NovaTech division, which designs and manufactures high‐speed data acquisition, recording and analysis systems for industrial, power generation, oil and gas, aerospace and defense markets; and the AstroNova division, which offers digital color label printing and packaging solutions under brands such as QuickLabel and RTag. These products are engineered to support mission‐critical applications that require reliable data capture or product identification across complex supply chains.

Headquartered in West Warwick, Rhode Island, AstroNova traces its heritage to the development of ruggedized oscillographs and recording instruments for industrial clients.