Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZPN) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Aspen Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZPN) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,600,000 shares, an increase of 32.2% from the January 31st total of 1,210,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 579,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 6.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZPN. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Aspen Technology during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Aspen Technology in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Aspen Technology by 29.7% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 192 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Aspen Technology by 965.0% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 213 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Aspen Technology by 5,700.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 232 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. 45.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aspen Technology Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZPN opened at $264.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $258.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.39. The stock has a market cap of $16.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 3,307.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.76. Aspen Technology has a 52-week low of $171.25 and a 52-week high of $277.37.

Aspen Technology (NASDAQ:AZPN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The technology company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by $0.03. Aspen Technology had a net margin of 0.54% and a return on equity of 3.17%. Analysts predict that Aspen Technology will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on AZPN shares. Berenberg Bank cut Aspen Technology from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Aspen Technology in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Aspen Technology from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $265.00 to $315.00 in a report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Aspen Technology from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Aspen Technology from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aspen Technology currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $272.00.

Aspen Technology Company Profile

Aspen Technology, Inc provides industrial software that focuses on helping customers in asset-intensive industries worldwide. The company’s solutions address complex environments where it is critical to optimize the asset design, operation, and maintenance lifecycle. Its software is used in performance engineering, modeling and design, supply chain management, predictive and prescriptive maintenance, digital grid management, and industrial data management.