Squarepoint Ops LLC Has $3.08 Million Holdings in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 426.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,631 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 21,568 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.07% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $3,079,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AEIS. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $74,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,023 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 989 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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 note on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 price objective (down previously from $135.00) on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $145.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.67.

Insider Activity at Advanced Energy Industries

In related news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEIS traded down $2.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $114.07. The stock had a trading volume of 337,135 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,743. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $101.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.71. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.01 and a 1-year high of $132.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.77, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a current ratio of 4.42.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $392.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.62%.

About Advanced Energy Industries

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.