AES (NYSE:AES) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $10.69 and last traded at $10.60, with a volume of 328396 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AES has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on AES from $17.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of AES from $24.00 to $16.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of AES from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. HSBC began coverage on shares of AES in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of AES to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.80.

AES Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $12.46 and a 200 day moving average of $15.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.21, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $7.55 billion, a PE ratio of 7.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.99.

AES Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 a boost from AES’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. AES’s dividend payout ratio is 48.61%.

Institutional Trading of AES

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in AES by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in AES by 3.2% in the third quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,301 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in AES by 8.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,179 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its stake in AES by 1.0% during 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 buying an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners lifted its holdings in AES by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners now owns 29,241 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. 93.13% of the stock is 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.