Epoch Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX – Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 202,478 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,670 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Argan were worth $110,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Argan during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Argan during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Argan during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Argan during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in Argan by 2,950.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 61 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. 79.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have commented on AGX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Argan from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $550.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Argan from $399.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Argan from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Argan in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Argan from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Argan currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $470.40.
Argan Stock Down 6.0%
Argan stock opened at $566.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.94 billion, a PE ratio of 49.77 and a beta of 0.57. Argan, Inc. has a 12-month low of $197.00 and a 12-month high of $805.75. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $668.69 and its 200 day moving average is $549.60.
Argan (NYSE:AGX – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 4th. The construction company reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.31 by $0.93. Argan had a net margin of 15.48% and a return on equity of 36.89%. The business had revenue of $290.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $256.03 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 50.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Argan, Inc. will post 12.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Argan Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Argan’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.57%.
Argan announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 8th that allows the company to repurchase $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 2.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Karen Sweeney sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.00, for a total value of $211,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,091,340. The trade was a 16.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Peter W. Getsinger sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.00, for a total value of $1,398,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,411,120. This trade represents a 29.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 134,105 shares of company stock worth $91,724,081 over the last 90 days. 2.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Argan Company Profile
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.
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