Principal Securities Inc. Buys 137 Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) by 16.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 989 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after buying an additional 137 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Energy Industries were worth $114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AEIS. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 884,402 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $93,094,000 after acquiring an additional 15,030 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 53,566 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 403,679 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $42,483,000 after purchasing an additional 23,395 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 176,683 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $19,244,000 after purchasing an additional 6,217 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 139,556 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $16,137,000 after buying an additional 12,860 shares during the last quarter. 99.67% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Down 3.4 %

NASDAQ AEIS opened at $121.50 on Wednesday. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 12 month low of $89.11 and a 12 month 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. The stock has a market cap of $4.58 billion, a PE ratio of 84.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $118.55 and its 200 day moving average is $111.88.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) 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 predict that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.33%. Advanced Energy Industries’s payout ratio is 27.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AEIS. Citigroup raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $110.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Advanced Energy Industries from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on 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. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Four equities research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.56.

Insider Transactions at Advanced Energy Industries

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

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.