Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $125.22.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AEIS. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $136.00 to $124.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Citigroup upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 13th.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 3.9 %

AEIS traded up $3.75 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $100.67. 412,151 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,388. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $101.13 and a 200 day moving average of $110.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 4.42 and a quick ratio of 3.27. Advanced Energy Industries has a 12-month low of $75.01 and a 12-month high of $132.16.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.97%.

Insider Activity at Advanced Energy Industries

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total value of $206,992.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 71.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 559 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Company Profile

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.