AdvanSix Up 27% in 3 Months: What's Driving the Stock?

AdvanSix Inc.'s ASIX shares have appreciated 27.3% in the past three months. The company also outperformed the industry's rise of 2.2% and topped the S&P 500's 5.2% increase over the same period.

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Let's take a look at the factors driving the stock's price appreciation.

What's Driving AdvanSix?

AdvanSix posted strong second-quarter results that exceeded expectations. The company recorded adjusted earnings of $1.55 per share, outperforming the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.20. Revenues in the quarter reached $453.5 million, increasing 6% year over year and beating the consensus estimate of $427 million. The upside was driven by a 5% rise in sales volume, primarily attributed to higher sales for nylon and ammonium sulfate, supported by favorable supply and demand dynamics in North America. Favorable pricing trends, particularly for acetone, further bolstered results.

Adjusted EBITDA also rose 19% year over year to $78.1 million, benefiting from increased sales volume and improved pricing. Operating cash flow also saw a significant boost, up $15.2 million from the prior year's tally to $50.2 million. The uptick reflects higher net income and favorable changes in working capital.

Looking ahead, ASIX anticipates stronger ammonium sulfate pricing in third-quarter 2024 due to solid demand entering the fall fill season. However, it expects a typical North American seasonal decline in ammonium sulfate pricing on a sequential basis. The outlook for global acetone supply and demand remains balanced to tight. At the same time, North American nylon industry spreads are projected to modestly improve through the year due to tighter regional supply and stable end-market demand.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASIX's 2024 earnings per share is pegged at $1.91, moving up 34% in the past 60 days.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

AdvanSix currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Newmont Corporation, Element Solutions Inc and Barrick Gold Corporation. Newmont and ElementSolutionssport a Zacks Rank #1, while Barrick Gold carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Newmont's current-year earnings is pegged at $2.82, indicating a rise of 75% from the year-ago levels. The consensus for NEM's earnings has increased 16% in the past 60 days.The stock has gained nearly 34.4% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ESI's current-year earnings is pegged at $1.42, indicating a rise of 10% from the year-ago levels. ESI beat the consensus estimate in three of the last four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 3.8%. The stock has rallied nearly 36.8% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GOLD's current year earnings is pegged at $1.21, indicating a year-over-year rise of 44%. GOLD's earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the last four quarters, the average earnings surprise being 21.2%. The company's shares have increased 30.2% in the past year.

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