Southernsun Asset Management LLC Buys 81,697 Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Southernsun Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 240.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 115,668 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 81,697 shares during the quarter. Advanced Energy Industries makes up 1.7% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.31% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $13,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 11,036 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $1,276,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 22,591 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $2,612,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 275,367 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $31,841,000 after acquiring an additional 14,409 shares during the period. Finally, Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth approximately $487,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $136.00 to $124.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Energy Industries presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.22.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Up 3.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ AEIS traded up $3.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $100.67. 412,151 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,815. The stock has a market cap of $3.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 70.40, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.39. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.01 and a 1-year high of $132.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 4.42 and a quick ratio of 3.27.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. On average, analysts expect that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Advanced Energy Industries's payout ratio is currently 27.97%.

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 dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total transaction of $206,992.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares in the company, valued at $451,760.04. The trade was a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Advanced Energy Industries 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.