Southernsun Asset Management LLC Acquires 81,697 Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Southernsun Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS - Free Report) by 240.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 115,668 shares of the electronics maker's stock after purchasing an additional 81,697 shares during the period. Advanced Energy Industries makes up approximately 1.7% of Southernsun Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Southernsun Asset Management LLC owned about 0.31% of Advanced Energy Industries worth $13,375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of AEIS. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.0% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 19.9% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,669 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $702,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 6.2% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 403,679 shares of the electronics maker's stock worth $42,483,000 after buying an additional 23,395 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 483,848 shares of the electronics maker's stock valued at $50,920,000 after buying an additional 53,566 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $2,155,077.49. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of Advanced Energy Industries 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 in the company, valued at $451,760.04. The trade was 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.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

AEIS stock traded up $5.43 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $96.92. 229,577 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 253,313. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.38. The company has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $75.01 and a one year high of $132.16. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

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 net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. Equities analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. Advanced Energy Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AEIS shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup raised Advanced Energy Industries from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $110.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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.