AES (NYSE:AES) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $12.52 and last traded at $12.59, with a volume of 8651395 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AES has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of AES from $23.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of AES to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. HSBC began coverage on AES in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Susquehanna decreased their price target on AES from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded AES to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.30.

AES Stock Up 4.5 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $14.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21. The company has a market capitalization of $9.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.01.

AES (NYSE:AES) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.11. AES had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 27.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that The AES Co. will post 1.95 EPS for the current year.

AES Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.176 per share. This is an increase from AES’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.41%. AES’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AES

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of AES by 59.1% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in AES by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 44,433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $781,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AES by 3.2% during the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,301 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AES by 8.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $224,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora grew its position in shares of AES by 1.0% in the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 84,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,698,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. 93.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AES

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.