Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Reaches New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEIS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Baird R W raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $103.00 to $92.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $140.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.78.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Up 3.3 %

The company has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 109.85, a P/E/G ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 1.46. 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 50-day moving average price of $115.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.02.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The electronics maker reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.07. Advanced Energy Industries had a return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 2.91%. The firm had revenue of $374.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $372.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Advanced Energy Industries

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the director now owns 5,092 shares of the company's stock, valued at $568,878.24. The trade was a 16.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 200.0% in the third 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. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 68.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 458 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $87,000. 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.