UBS Group AG Grows Stock Position in IES Holdings, Inc. $IESC

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in IES Holdings by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 88,715 shares worth about $34.5 million. Institutional ownership remains very high at 86.6% of the company.
• IES posted a strong earnings beat, reporting $4.16 EPS versus the $3.95 estimate. Revenue missed expectations at $974.2 million, but profitability remained solid with a 33.97% return on equity and 10.40% net margin.
• Insider selling has picked up, including sales by CEO Matthew Simmes and Chairman Jeffrey L. Et Al Gendell. The stock also has mixed analyst sentiment, with ratings ranging from “strong-buy” to “hold” and a consensus target of $458.00.

UBS Group AG grew its position in IES Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:IESC - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 88,715 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,159 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned about 0.45% of IES worth $34,512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IESC. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of IES by 982.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 323,893 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $128,796,000 after acquiring an additional 293,977 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of IES in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,609,000. Parsifal Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of IES in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,768,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of IES by 3,965.1% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 31,830 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $12,657,000 after purchasing an additional 31,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of IES by 43.7% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 91,567 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $27,125,000 after purchasing an additional 27,849 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.60% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at IES

In other news, CEO Matthew J. Simmes sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.24, for a total transaction of $4,607,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,575 shares in the company, valued at $56,987,128. This trade represents a 7.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Jeffrey L. Et Al Gendell sold 40,103 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $677.19, for a total value of $27,157,350.57. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 10,547,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,142,362,207.02. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 87,315 shares of company stock worth $55,468,083 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 56.43% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about IES

Here are the key news stories impacting IES this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IES reported quarterly earnings of $4.16 per share, topping analyst estimates of $3.95 and reinforcing the company’s strong profitability profile. Revenue came in below expectations, but the earnings beat may still support the stock’s higher valuation. IES earnings and stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street Zen recently upgraded IESC from “buy” to “strong-buy,” while Freedom Capital downgraded the stock from “strong-buy” to “hold.” The mixed analyst signals suggest some disagreement about how much upside remains after the stock’s sharp run. Article on Freedom Capital downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Matthew Simmes sold 7,000 shares, and Director Todd M. Cleveland sold 11,578 shares plus an additional 922 shares in separate transactions. Large insider sales can raise concern that executives and directors see less near-term upside at current levels. Insider selling alert
• Negative Sentiment: Chairman Jeffrey L. Et Al Gendell also sold 40,103 shares and then another 7,052 shares, adding to the negative sentiment around insider activity. Although the sales were small relative to his overall stake, the pace of selling may weigh on investor confidence. SEC filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on IESC shares. Wall Street Zen raised IES from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Loop Capital set a $458.00 price target on IES in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Freedom Capital cut IES from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, IES currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $458.00.

IES Stock Up 0.2%

IESC stock opened at $666.70 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $511.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $456.24. The stock has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.56 and a beta of 1.81. IES Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $235.99 and a 52-week high of $688.51.

IES (NASDAQ:IESC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The technology company reported $4.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.95 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $974.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. IES had a return on equity of 33.97% and a net margin of 10.40%.

About IES

IES Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: IESC is a specialty contractor providing integrated electrical and mechanical construction services, engineering, and systems integration across North America. The company focuses on delivering end-to-end solutions for commercial, industrial and mission-critical facilities, combining design, build, commission and maintenance capabilities to serve a wide range of markets.

Through its subsidiaries, IES offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including electrical distribution and infrastructure, mechanical contracting, process piping, controls and automation, energy management, and ongoing service and maintenance.

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