Investors Buy Large Volume of AES Put Options (NYSE:AES)

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 24,643 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 75% compared to the typical volume of 14,084 put options.

AES Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AES traded down $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $10.56. The company had a trading volume of 5,711,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,129,503. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. AES has a 52-week low of $9.88 and a 52-week high of $22.21. The business has a 50 day moving average of $11.58 and a 200 day moving average of $14.61. The company has a market cap of $7.50 billion, a PE ratio of 7.32, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.99.

AES Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.176 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.67%. AES’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AES shares. HSBC started coverage on AES in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on AES in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $11.00 target price for the company. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on AES from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Barclays lowered their price objective on AES from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on AES from $24.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AES

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AES. Gould Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of AES by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 225,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,898,000 after purchasing an additional 55,619 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of AES by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 25,510 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 3,041 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AES by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,515,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $19,504,000 after purchasing an additional 101,514 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in AES by 760.4% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 3,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,958 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Novem Group purchased a new stake in AES during the 4th quarter worth approximately $134,000. 93.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AES

The AES Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified power generation and utility company in the United States and internationally. The company owns and/or operates power plants to generate and sell power to customers, such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries; owns and/or operates utilities to generate or purchase, distribute, transmit, and sell electricity to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental sectors; and generates and sells electricity on the wholesale market.