D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Decreases Stake in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. reduced its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 43.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,307 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 34,795 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.12% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $5,239,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 460,121 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $53,204,000 after acquiring an additional 18,533 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter worth $3,971,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 139,556 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $16,137,000 after acquiring an additional 12,860 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 192.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 19,405 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $2,303,000 after purchasing an additional 12,773 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $487,000. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:AEIS traded up $1.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $118.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 254,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,508. The company has a quick ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 4.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $99.68 and a 200-day moving average of $110.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.95, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.50. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.01 and a 12-month high of $132.16.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.26. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The business had revenue of $404.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $392.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Monday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.34%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on AEIS shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (down from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Advanced Energy Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $124.67.

Insider Activity at Advanced Energy Industries

In other news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total value of $206,992.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $2,155,077.49. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,333.42. This represents a 49.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.