AES (NYSE:AES) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $10.29 and last traded at $10.40, with a volume of 1588395 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.75.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho cut their price objective on AES from $24.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of AES from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded AES to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays decreased their price target on AES from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on shares of AES in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.80.

AES Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $12.27 and its 200 day moving average is $15.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21.

AES Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.176 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.78%. This is a boost from AES’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. AES’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AES. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in AES during the third quarter valued at $28,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AES by 190.3% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,581 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in AES by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 640 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of AES by 93.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,369 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of AES during the third quarter worth $63,000. 93.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AES Company Profile

The AES Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified power generation and utility company in the United States and internationally. The company owns and/or operates power plants to generate and sell power to customers, such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries; owns and/or operates utilities to generate or purchase, distribute, transmit, and sell electricity to end-user customers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental sectors; and generates and sells electricity on the wholesale market.