Dark Forest Capital Management LP Buys New Shares in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,856 shares of the electronics maker's stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AEIS. Southernsun Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 240.5% in the 4th quarter. Southernsun Asset Management LLC now owns 115,668 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $13,375,000 after acquiring an additional 81,697 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,036 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $1,276,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 22,591 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $2,612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 275,367 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $31,841,000 after buying an additional 14,409 shares in the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $2,155,077.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 19,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $451,760.04. The trade was a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 2.8 %

Advanced Energy Industries stock traded up $2.98 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $111.29. 550,409 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 260,462. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $98.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.14. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.01 and a fifty-two week high of $132.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 77.83, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $392.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. The business's revenue was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, May 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 23rd. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price (down previously from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com cut shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Advanced Energy Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $124.44.

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.