Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark restated a buy rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $108.00 to $97.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a hold rating on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Advanced Energy Industries presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $111.86.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 2.5 %

AEIS stock traded up $2.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $97.99. The company had a trading volume of 259,377 shares, compared to its average volume of 217,206. The company has a market capitalization of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $97.82 and a 200 day moving average of $99.13. Advanced Energy Industries has a 12 month low of $81.86 and a 12 month high of $126.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 5.10 and a quick ratio of 4.10.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The electronics maker reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $327.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $351.74 million. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 6.58% and a return on equity of 11.70%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 27th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 23rd. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.71%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 78.2% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 52.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 609 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the 3rd quarter worth about $85,000. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.