Citigroup Inc. Sells 2,372,213 Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. $AEIS

Citigroup Inc. cut its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 92.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 193,531 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 2,372,213 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.51% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $18,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 71.5% during the first 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. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the 1st quarter worth about $78,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Performance

Shares of AEIS stock traded up $1.04 during trading on Monday, reaching $152.44. 79,391 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 357,865. The company has a quick ratio of 2.97, a current ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a PE ratio of 68.98, a PEG ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.52. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.01 and a twelve month high of $163.07. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $138.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.22.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The electronics maker reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.22. Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 12.38% and a net margin of 5.13%. The firm had revenue of $441.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $421.32 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 25th. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Paul R. Oldham sold 1,173 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $154,003.17. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,006 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,070,777.74. This represents a 3.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Donaghey sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.73, for a total value of $160,730.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,611,961.17. The trade was a 9.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,173 shares of company stock valued at $594,733. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AEIS shares. Citigroup raised 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price target on Advanced Energy Industries and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Advanced Energy Industries to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Energy Industries currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.90.

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.