The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) Stock Position Lifted by Kerusso Capital Management LLC

Kerusso Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The AES Co. (NYSE:AES - Free Report) by 77.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 274,560 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 119,682 shares during the period. AES makes up approximately 2.3% of Kerusso Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Kerusso Capital Management LLC's holdings in AES were worth $3,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AES. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new position in AES in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its position in AES by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of AES during the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of AES by 69.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,688 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 1,509 shares during the period. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new position in shares of AES during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $95,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company's stock.

AES Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of AES traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $10.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,172,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,314,994. The company's 50-day moving average is $11.88 and its 200-day moving average is $14.85. The AES Co. has a 52-week low of $9.88 and a 52-week high of $22.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21.

AES Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.176 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.78%. This is an increase from AES's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AES's payout ratio is presently 48.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AES. Barclays dropped their target price on AES from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded AES to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Bank of America started coverage on AES in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $11.00 target price for the company. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of AES from $24.00 to $16.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, HSBC started coverage on shares of AES in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $17.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $18.80.

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.