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Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Plug Power logo with Industrials background
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Key Points

  • Plug Power's shares briefly crossed above their 200-day moving average ($2.29), trading as high as $2.32 on heavy volume, but the stock last traded at $2.21 so the breakout was not sustained.
  • Corporate developments are mixed: the company plans to offer up to 250 MW of hydrogen-generated power into a PJM auction (a potential new revenue stream), while multiple class-action lawsuits and analyst price-target cuts create legal and sentiment headwinds.
  • The company beat quarterly estimates (EPS of -$0.06 vs. -$0.10 and revenue above expectations) but remains unprofitable with a very negative net margin, and the street's consensus rating is a Hold with an average price target of $2.89.
  • MarketBeat previews the top five stocks to own by May 1st.

Plug Power, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLUG - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $2.29 and traded as high as $2.32. Plug Power shares last traded at $2.21, with a volume of 85,614,759 shares changing hands.

Key Stories Impacting Plug Power

Here are the key news stories impacting Plug Power this week:

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PLUG. Clear Str upgraded shares of Plug Power from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Plug Power in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Plug Power from $3.50 to $2.50 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $7.00 target price on shares of Plug Power in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Plug Power from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Plug Power presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2.89.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Plug Power

Plug Power Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.64 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $2.15 and a 200-day moving average of $2.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The electronics maker reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.10) by $0.04. Plug Power had a negative net margin of 229.83% and a negative return on equity of 45.97%. The company had revenue of $225.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $217.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($1.48) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Plug Power, Inc. will post -1.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Plug Power

In other Plug Power news, insider Benjamin Haycraft sold 40,000 shares of Plug Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.17, for a total value of $86,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 333,809 shares in the company, valued at $724,365.53. The trade was a 10.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jose Luis Crespo bought 37,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2.34 per share, with a total value of $87,282.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 307,332 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $719,156.88. The trade was a 13.81% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Plug Power

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Plug Power by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 129,599,295 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $255,311,000 after purchasing an additional 19,967,339 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Plug Power in the fourth quarter worth $27,684,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in Plug Power by 292.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 10,830,893 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $25,236,000 after buying an additional 8,068,713 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Plug Power by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 737,112 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,452,000 after acquiring an additional 7,640,212 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Plug Power by 29.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,258,283 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $63,549,000 after acquiring an additional 7,416,943 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 43.48% of the company's stock.

About Plug Power

(Get Free Report)

Plug Power Inc is a U.S.-based company specializing in the design and manufacture of hydrogen fuel cell systems that serve as clean energy replacements for conventional batteries in electric vehicles and material handling equipment. Its core solutions include ProGen fuel cell engines, GenDrive power systems for forklifts and warehouse vehicles, and GenFuel hydrogen refueling infrastructure. These offerings are sold as standalone components or integrated turnkey solutions under the GenKey brand, providing customers with on-site refueling, equipment installation and maintenance services.

In addition to its fuel cell and refueling products, Plug Power develops backup power and off-grid energy solutions through its GenSure line, which targets telecommunications, data centers and utility applications.

Further Reading

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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