Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Hits New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Advanced Energy Industries reached a new 52-week high of $163.08 during trading, closing at $158.81 with a high volume of 963,926 shares.
• Equities analysts have generally rated the stock as a "Moderate Buy," with an average price target of $138.90 and several analysts raising their price targets recently.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share, translating to a 0.3% yield, to be paid on September 5th to investors of record.

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $163.08 and last traded at $158.81, with a volume of 963926 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $151.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AEIS. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 target price on Advanced Energy Industries and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.90.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Down 6.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.97, a current ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The business's fifty day moving average price is $138.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.71 billion, a PE ratio of 68.51, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.52.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The electronics maker reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.22. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 12.38%. The company had revenue of $441.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $421.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Donaghey sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $280,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,544,060. This trade represents a 15.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Paul R. Oldham sold 1,173 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $154,003.17. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,070,777.74. The trade was a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,173 shares of company stock worth $594,733. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 98.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 234 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 42.9% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 313 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 67.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 312 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.