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

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $130.80 and last traded at $130.71, with a volume of 180636 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $126.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AEIS shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.56.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The business’s fifty day moving average is $117.75 and its 200 day moving average is $110.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.45.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.78 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.30%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AEIS. Versant Capital Management Inc increased 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 200.0% in the 3rd 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. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Advanced Energy Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

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.