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

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of 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. Based on an average trading volume of 235,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 10.1 days. Currently, 6.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ AEIS opened at $124.27 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 109.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 4.62 and a quick ratio of 3.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.57. Advanced Energy Industries has a 1 year low of $89.11 and a 1 year high of $130.50.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) 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 return on equity of 9.02% and a net margin of 2.91%. On average, analysts forecast that Advanced Energy Industries will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. Advanced Energy Industries’s payout ratio is 27.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.72, for a total value 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. The trade was a 16.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Advanced Energy Industries

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AEIS. 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 buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 312 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 61.6% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 354 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Advanced Energy Industries in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

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.