Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down previously from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Three 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, Advanced Energy Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $126.89.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of AEIS traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $132.50. 260,026 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 279,033. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $116.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.23. The company has a market cap of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.50. Advanced Energy Industries has a 1-year low of $75.01 and a 1-year high of $135.96. The company has a current ratio of 4.43, a quick ratio of 3.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $404.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $392.36 million. Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 10.70% and a net margin of 4.73%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Research analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 26th were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Paul R. Oldham sold 1,173 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $154,003.17. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,006 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,070,777.74. The trade was a 3.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Energy Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEIS. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 10,437 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,207,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,151 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $4,527,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,971,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 155,688 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $18,002,000 after buying an additional 29,969 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 398.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.