AES (NYSE:AES) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $9.57 and last traded at $9.80, with a volume of 13711481 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.18.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on AES shares. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of AES from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on AES from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on AES from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of AES from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised AES from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the company from $11.00 to $13.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $13.71.

AES Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $11.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.20 billion, a PE ratio of 7.03, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.81.

AES (NYSE:AES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. AES had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 27.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. Analysts expect that The AES Co. will post 1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AES Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be issued a $0.176 dividend. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. AES's payout ratio is currently 29.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AES

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AES. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AES by 190.3% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,412 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in AES by 79.5% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 2,711 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,201 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AES during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of AES by 93.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its stake in AES by 200.6% in the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 3,250 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.