Lanesha Minnix Sells 1,600 Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Stock

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total transaction of $206,992.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Performance

Shares of AEIS stock opened at $130.26 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $118.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.14. The stock has a market cap of $4.91 billion, a PE ratio of 91.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $89.11 and a 12 month high of $132.16.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.90% and a net margin of 3.66%. On average, equities analysts expect that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.56.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEIS. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 139,556 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $16,137,000 after acquiring an additional 12,860 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 176,683 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $19,244,000 after purchasing an additional 6,217 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 12.4% during 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 last quarter. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $664,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Advanced Energy Industries in the third quarter worth about $12,306,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.