Short Interest in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Decreases By 10.2%

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,380,000 shares, a decrease of 10.2% from the January 15th total of 2,650,000 shares. Approximately 6.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 235,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 10.1 days.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Energy Industries

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total value of $206,992.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AEIS. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,008 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC lifted its stake in Advanced Energy Industries by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 4,594 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 1.0% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 10,752 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $1,132,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 2,019 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,916 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $453,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 3.8 %

Shares of AEIS traded up $4.81 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $131.54. The company had a trading volume of 390,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,766. Advanced Energy Industries has a 1-year low of $89.11 and a 1-year high of $131.64. The company has a quick ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 4.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.01. The stock has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 91.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.45.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. Research analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries will post 3.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.30%. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America raised 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. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $126.56.

About Advanced Energy Industries

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.