AES Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:AES)

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 22,660 put options on the company. This is an increase of 186% compared to the average volume of 7,925 put options.

AES Stock Down 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE AES opened at $13.28 on Thursday. AES has a 52 week low of $13.16 and a 52 week high of $22.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $17.06 and its 200 day moving average is $17.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 1.10.

AES (NYSE:AES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.11. AES had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 27.30%. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that AES will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AES Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a $0.1725 dividend. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. AES’s payout ratio is 47.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AES has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of AES in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI upgraded AES to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays increased their target price on AES from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on AES from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $22.38.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC raised its position in AES by 2.4% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 27,122 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in AES by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 640 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in AES by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 44,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in AES by 92.4% in the 2nd quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 720 shares during the period. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AES by 3.2% during the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,301 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares during the last quarter. 93.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.