Robert W. Baird Lowers Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) Price Target to $124.00

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Robert W. Baird from $136.00 to $124.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the electronics maker's stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on AEIS. Citigroup upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.22.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Down 1.8 %

Advanced Energy Industries stock traded down $1.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $98.89. 267,097 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 254,864. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.32. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $3.75 billion, a PE ratio of 69.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47. Advanced Energy Industries has a 12-month low of $75.01 and a 12-month high of $132.16.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. Research analysts expect that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, May 24th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Advanced Energy Industries's payout ratio is 27.97%.

Insider Activity

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $2,155,077.49. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total transaction of $206,992.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 3,492 shares in the company, valued at $451,760.04. This trade represents a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 71.5% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 559 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. 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.