NorthRock Partners LLC Has $657,000 Holdings in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Key Points

• NorthRock Partners LLC reduced its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 21.6%, selling 1,900 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 6,898 shares valued at approximately $657,000.
• Several hedge funds increased their investments in Advanced Energy Industries, with the Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raising its stake by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing their total holdings to 774,586 shares worth about $89.6 million.
• Advanced Energy Industries paid a $0.10 quarterly dividend on September 5, which yields 0.3%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 20.62%.

NorthRock Partners LLC lessened its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 21.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,898 shares of the electronics maker's stock after selling 1,900 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in Advanced Energy Industries were worth $657,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 774,586 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $89,565,000 after buying an additional 138,814 shares during the period. Summit Partners Public Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $71,494,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 4th quarter worth about $68,949,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,393,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 0.3% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 477,296 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $45,491,000 after acquiring an additional 1,624 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John Donaghey sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,544,060. The trade was a 15.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul R. Oldham sold 1,173 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $154,003.17. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,006 shares in the company, valued at $4,070,777.74. The trade was a 3.65% 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on AEIS shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (down previously from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $130.20.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Performance

AEIS stock traded down $3.67 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $135.25. 468,823 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 309,776. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 4.43 and a quick ratio of 3.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $131.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.13. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $75.01 and a one year high of $145.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.52.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $404.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $392.36 million. Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 10.70% and a net margin of 4.73%. The company's revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 25th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Advanced Energy Industries's payout ratio is presently 20.62%.

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.