Susquehanna Downgrades AES (NYSE:AES) to Neutral

AES (NYSE:AES) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Susquehanna from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday. They currently have a $15.00 target price on the utilities provider’s stock. Susquehanna’s price target suggests a potential upside of 4.13% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Mizuho lowered AES from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price target (down from $23.00) on shares of AES in a report on Friday, March 6th. Argus downgraded AES from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of AES in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AES from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AES currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.09.

AES Stock Down 0.2%

AES stock opened at $14.41 on Thursday. AES has a fifty-two week low of $9.46 and a fifty-two week high of $17.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.01 and a 200-day moving average of $14.41. The company has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.77.

AES (NYSE:AES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. AES had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 19.93%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AES will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AES

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its stake in AES by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 169,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,483,000 after purchasing an additional 15,661 shares during the period. Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AES during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,313,000. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of AES by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 162,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 49,215 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its stake in shares of AES by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 171,661 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,462,000 after buying an additional 16,289 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in AES by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 14,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the last quarter. 93.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About AES

AES Corporation is a global energy company focused on the generation and distribution of electricity across diversified markets. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, AES develops, builds and operates power plants and distribution systems that serve residential, industrial and commercial customers. The company’s portfolio includes thermal, renewable and battery energy storage facilities designed to deliver reliable and sustainable electricity solutions.

Through its subsidiaries, AES operates a balanced mix of power generation assets, including natural gas, coal and renewables such as solar and wind.