Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 8,176 Shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 475,672 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 8,176 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Advanced Energy Industries were worth $55,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 2,150.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 810 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 2.4% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 24,763 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $2,606,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 28.0% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,007 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 5.5% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,496 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Semanteon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Advanced Energy Industries in the third quarter worth $724,000. Institutional investors own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Advanced Energy Industries news, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.37, for a total value of $206,992.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Advanced Energy Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEIS opened at $130.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $118.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.14. 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 $4.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 91.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 4.42, a quick ratio of 3.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The electronics maker reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.09 by ($0.03). Advanced Energy Industries had a net margin of 3.66% and a return on equity of 8.90%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Advanced Energy Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.31%. Advanced Energy Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $120.00 to $118.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Advanced Energy Industries has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.56.

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.