Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Cuts Stock Position in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,651 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 1,737 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned about 0.05% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $2,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 200.0% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 312 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 68.4% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 458 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEIS has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, 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 note on Monday, December 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Performance

AEIS stock opened at $116.43 on Friday. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.11 and a 1-year high of $132.16. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $118.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $112.00. The company has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.42, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 4.42 and a quick ratio of 3.27.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.34%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.