Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Stock Price

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by stock analysts at Robert W. Baird from $124.00 to $132.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the electronics maker's stock. Robert W. Baird's price target would indicate a potential upside of 23.05% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Citigroup raised Advanced Energy Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Advanced Energy Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.67.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

Shares of AEIS traded down $2.77 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $107.27. 112,057 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 260,347. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a PE ratio of 74.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $98.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.14. Advanced Energy Industries has a fifty-two week low of $75.01 and a fifty-two week high of $132.16. The company has a quick ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 4.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The electronics maker reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $404.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $392.36 million. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Advanced Energy Industries

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total transaction of $206,992.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This trade represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $2,155,077.49. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Energy Industries

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew 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 buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 71.5% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 559 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.