The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.80.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of AES in a report on Monday, November 25th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $11.00 price target for the company. HSBC initiated coverage on AES in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho reduced their target price on AES from $24.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of AES to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on AES from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

AES Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AES opened at $10.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.99. AES has a 1 year low of $10.33 and a 1 year high of $22.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50-day moving average is $12.36 and its 200-day moving average is $15.29.

AES Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.176 per share. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.67%. This is a boost from AES’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. AES’s payout ratio is presently 48.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AES

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AES. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in AES in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of AES by 190.3% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in AES by 59.1% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of AES by 93.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in AES in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. 93.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AES

The AES Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified power generation and utility company in the United States and internationally. The company owns and/or operates power plants to generate and sell power to customers, such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries; owns and/or operates utilities to generate or purchase, distribute, transmit, and sell electricity to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental sectors; and generates and sells electricity on the wholesale market.