Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Hits New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $128.70 and last traded at $127.47, with a volume of 52518 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.24.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEIS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Needham & Company LLC upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.78.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 4.0 %

The company’s 50 day moving average is $115.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 4.62 and a quick ratio of 3.32. The firm has a market cap of $4.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 110.63, a PEG ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.46.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The electronics maker reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $374.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $372.49 million. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 2.91% and a return on equity of 9.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.32%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 35.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,000 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.72, for a total value 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 trade represents a 16.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Advanced Energy Industries

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,231 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $142,000 after buying an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 483,848 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $50,920,000 after purchasing an additional 53,566 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 403,679 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $42,483,000 after purchasing an additional 23,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,669 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $702,000 after purchasing an additional 1,107 shares in the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Company Profile

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.