Analysts Set Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) PT at $126.56

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

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

AEIS stock opened at $94.80 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $113.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.51. The firm has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.29, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.43. 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 has a 1 year low of $89.12 and a 1 year high of $132.16.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.97%.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Energy Industries

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $2,155,077.49. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Energy Industries

Institutional 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% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.