Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Upgraded at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $138.00 target price on the electronics maker’s stock, up from their prior target price of $110.00.

AEIS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $103.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Baird R W raised Advanced Energy Industries to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.78.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Down 5.2 %

Shares of AEIS stock opened at $118.67 on Monday. Advanced Energy Industries has a 52-week low of $89.11 and a 52-week high of $128.70. The business’s fifty day moving average is $115.63 and its 200 day moving average is $109.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 3.32 and a current ratio of 4.62. The company has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a PE ratio of 104.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.46.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The electronics maker reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.07. Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 2.91%. The firm had revenue of $374.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $372.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 25th were given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. Advanced Energy Industries’s payout ratio is currently 35.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.72, for a total transaction of $111,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,092 shares in the company, valued at $568,878.24. This represents a 16.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AEIS. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 200.0% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 312 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 68.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 458 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries in the second quarter worth $87,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by 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.