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

Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $126.56.

AEIS has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target 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.

Insider Activity at Advanced Energy Industries

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 19,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,212,333.42. The trade was a 49.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total value of $206,992.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This trade represents a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,913,669 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $568,168,000 after acquiring an additional 69,908 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,402 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $93,094,000 after purchasing an additional 15,030 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 774,586 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $89,565,000 after purchasing an additional 138,814 shares during the period. Summit Partners Public Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $71,494,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $68,949,000. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Down 4.9 %

Advanced Energy Industries stock opened at $100.02 on Friday. Advanced Energy Industries has a fifty-two week low of $89.12 and a fifty-two week high of $132.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $114.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a current ratio of 4.42.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 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%. Analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

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