Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $124.67.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup upped their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price (down from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday, May 1st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Energy Industries

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $2,155,077.49. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 19,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,065 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 2,019 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 4,594 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $531,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 139,556 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $16,137,000 after buying an additional 12,860 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Down 1.8%

Advanced Energy Industries stock opened at $113.87 on Friday. Advanced Energy Industries has a 12-month low of $75.01 and a 12-month high of $132.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $100.56 and a 200 day moving average of $110.77. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.26. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The firm had revenue of $404.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $392.36 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Advanced Energy Industries’s payout ratio is 20.62%.

About Advanced Energy Industries

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc provides precision power conversion, measurement, and control solutions in the United States and internationally. The company's plasma power products offer solutions to enable innovation for semiconductor and thin film plasma processes, such as dry etch and deposition.