Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEIS) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 52,380 shares of the electronics maker’s stock after selling 4,373 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Advanced Energy Industries were worth $6,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEIS. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 535.3% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 216 shares of the electronics maker’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Advanced Energy Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $74,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 989 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 26.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,023 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Advanced Energy Industries by 398.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the electronics maker’s stock valued at $122,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.67% of the company’s stock.

Advanced Energy Industries Trading Up 3.7 %

NASDAQ AEIS opened at $81.93 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $109.66 and a 200-day moving average of $112.08. 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 12 month low of $75.01 and a 12 month high of $132.16. The company has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.47.

Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ:AEIS) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Advanced Energy Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Monday, February 24th were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 24th. Advanced Energy Industries’s payout ratio is currently 27.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AEIS shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Advanced Energy Industries from $138.00 to $136.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Advanced Energy Industries in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America raised Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Advanced Energy Industries from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Advanced Energy Industries from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $110.00 to $138.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advanced Energy Industries

In related news, COO Eduardo Bernal Acebedo sold 19,309 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $2,155,077.49. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 19,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,333.42. This trade represents a 49.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Lanesha Minnix sold 1,600 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $451,760.04. This represents a 31.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.