Homestead Advisers Corp Increases Stock Position in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Homestead Advisers Corp lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 15.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,662 shares of the electronics maker's stock after buying an additional 7,800 shares during the period. Homestead Advisers Corp owned approximately 0.16% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $5,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 71.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 559 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (down previously from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $130.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Energy Industries

In other news, EVP Paul R. Oldham sold 1,173 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,070,777.74. The trade was a 3.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John Donaghey sold 2,000 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $280,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,544,060. This trade represents a 15.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Down 1.0%

AEIS stock traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $139.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 66,094 shares, compared to its average volume of 336,369. The company has a quick ratio of 3.28, a current ratio of 4.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.01 and a 52-week high of $145.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.88, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $129.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.30.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.26. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 10.70%. The company had revenue of $404.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $392.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

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.