Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Short Interest Up 6.1% in December

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,780,000 shares, an increase of 6.1% from the December 15th total of 2,620,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 228,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 12.2 days. Approximately 7.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,000 shares of Advanced Energy Industries stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.72, for a total transaction of $111,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,092 shares in the company, valued at $568,878.24. This trade represents a 16.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.7% during the 4th 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 during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised 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 worth $531,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.0% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 10,752 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $1,132,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 2,019 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,496 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $263,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of AEIS stock opened at $121.16 on Tuesday. Advanced Energy Industries has a 12-month low of $89.11 and a 12-month high of $128.70. The company has a quick ratio of 3.32, a current ratio of 4.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $116.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.88. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 106.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.46.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The electronics maker reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $374.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $372.49 million. Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 2.91% and a return on equity of 9.02%. The firm’s revenue was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 25th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 25th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on AEIS shares. Bank of America raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $124.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $103.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.89.

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.