AES (NYSE:AES) Rating Lowered to Neutral at Susquehanna

Key Points

• Susquehanna downgraded AES (NYSE:AES) from "positive" to "neutral" and set a $15 price target, implying roughly a 4.13% upside from the current price.
• Multiple analysts have moved to more cautious stances—Argus and Mizuho cut to Hold and Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $15—leaving a consensus rating of Hold (2 Buys, 8 Holds) with a consensus price target of $24.09.
• AES recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.81 vs. $0.68) on $3.10B revenue; the stock trades around $14.41 with a P/E of 11.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94.

AES (NYSE:AES - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Susquehanna from a "positive" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. They currently have a $15.00 price objective on the utilities provider's stock. Susquehanna's price target suggests a potential upside of 4.13% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Argus cut shares of AES from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on AES from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho cut AES from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded AES from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $15.00 price objective (down from $23.00) on shares of AES in a report on Friday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AES has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $24.09.

AES Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE AES opened at $14.41 on Thursday. AES has a 52 week low of $9.46 and a 52 week high of $17.65. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $15.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94. The company has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.03.

AES (NYSE:AES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.13. AES had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 19.93%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AES will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AES. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its stake in AES by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 14,658 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $210,000 after purchasing an additional 671 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its holdings in shares of AES by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 32,922 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $472,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its position in AES by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 28,581 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 852 shares during the period. S&CO Inc. raised its position in AES by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. S&CO Inc. now owns 17,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of AES by 50.8% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,401 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company's stock.

AES Company Profile

AES Corporation is a global energy company focused on the generation and distribution of electricity across diversified markets. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, AES develops, builds and operates power plants and distribution systems that serve residential, industrial and commercial customers. The company's portfolio includes thermal, renewable and battery energy storage facilities designed to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity solutions.

Through its subsidiaries, AES operates a balanced mix of power generation assets, including natural gas, coal and renewables such as solar and wind.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.