Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.89.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AEIS shares. Bank of America raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Wednesday, January 15th.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

Advanced Energy Industries stock opened at $111.17 on Thursday. Advanced Energy Industries has a 12 month low of $89.11 and a 12 month high of $130.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 4.62 and a quick ratio of 3.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 97.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.45.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 2.91%. Equities analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.36%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.72, for a total transaction of $111,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $568,878.24. This represents a 16.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 312 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 68.4% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 458 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter worth about $74,000. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Company 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.