AES (NYSE:AES) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $11.48 and last traded at $11.56, with a volume of 1212967 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.75.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AES. Barclays lowered their target price on AES from $23.00 to $17.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Mizuho lowered their target price on AES from $24.00 to $16.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on AES in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $11.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna lowered their price target on AES from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on AES in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $17.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $19.30.

AES Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.00. 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 stock's fifty day simple moving average is $12.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.78.

AES (NYSE:AES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.11. AES had a return on equity of 27.30% and a net margin of 8.34%. The business had revenue of $3.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The AES Co. will post 1.95 EPS for the current year.

AES Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.176 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.33%. This is a positive change from AES's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AES's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AES

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in shares of AES during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of AES by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 640 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of AES during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $63,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in shares of AES during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of AES by 69.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,688 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company's stock.

AES Company Profile

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.