StockNews.com Upgrades Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) to "Hold"

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

AEIS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. 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. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Energy Industries has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.67.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

Advanced Energy Industries stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $110.63. The stock had a trading volume of 220,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 261,440. Advanced Energy Industries has a one year low of $75.01 and a one year high of $132.16. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.50. The firm's 50 day moving average is $98.19 and its 200 day moving average is $110.13.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.26. Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 8.90% and a net margin of 3.66%. The firm had revenue of $404.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $392.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at $451,760.04. The trade was a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 sale, 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 insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Advanced Energy Industries during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 71.5% during 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 in the last quarter. 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.