Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Boosts Stock Position in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 412.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,100 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board's holdings in Advanced Energy Industries were worth $474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $74,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,023 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 989 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

NASDAQ AEIS traded up $0.18 on Wednesday, hitting $97.41. The stock had a trading volume of 435,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 257,052. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $99.23 and a 200-day moving average of $110.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a current ratio of 4.42. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.01 and a 52-week high of $132.16. The company has a market capitalization of $3.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47.

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 return on equity of 8.90% and a net margin of 3.66%. Equities analysts expect that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, May 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Advanced Energy Industries's payout ratio is 27.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on AEIS shares. StockNews.com lowered Advanced Energy Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $136.00 to $124.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $2,155,077.49. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total transaction of $206,992.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares in the company, valued at $451,760.04. This trade represents a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Advanced Energy Industries 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.