Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research 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 price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $126.56.

AEIS has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Energy Industries

In other news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of Advanced Energy Industries 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. The trade was a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEIS opened at $109.67 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $118.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $112.19. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Advanced Energy Industries has a 1-year low of $89.12 and a 1-year high of $132.16.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 8.90% and a net margin of 3.66%. Analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.97%.

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.