Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Trims Stock Position in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its stake in Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,651 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 1,737 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Advanced Energy Industries were worth $2,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 10,437 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $1,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Peregrine Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC now owns 87,732 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $10,144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $74,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Advanced Energy Industries by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,487 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in Advanced Energy Industries by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 18,816 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $2,176,000 after buying an additional 726 shares during the period. 99.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the company’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 value of $206,992.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AEIS. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.56.

Advanced Energy Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEIS opened at $116.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 4.42 and a quick ratio of 3.27. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.11 and a 1 year high of $132.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a PE ratio of 81.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $118.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.00.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.97%.

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.