Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) Short Interest Up 9.4% in December

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. (NYSE:ASPN) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,820,000 shares, a growth of 9.4% from the December 15th total of 8,980,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,470,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Aspen Aerogels to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Aspen Aerogels from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Roth Mkm cut their target price on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $36.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of Aspen Aerogels from $28.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Aspen Aerogels currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.11.

Aspen Aerogels Price Performance

Aspen Aerogels stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $12.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,371,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,320. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.93 and a quick ratio of 2.48. Aspen Aerogels has a 12-month low of $10.75 and a 12-month high of $33.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,273.77 and a beta of 2.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.18.

Institutional Trading of Aspen Aerogels

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Aspen Aerogels by 5.3% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC raised its holdings in Aspen Aerogels by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 5,800 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Aspen Aerogels by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 15,914 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Aspen Aerogels during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $84,000. Finally, Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Aspen Aerogels in the third quarter valued at approximately $118,000. 97.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.