AES (NYSE:AES) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $16.23 and last traded at $16.2050, with a volume of 4539435 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AES shares. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of AES in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of AES from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of AES from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on AES from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of AES in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.08.

AES Trading Up 0.2%

The firm has a market cap of $11.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.75, a P/E/G ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.15.

AES Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $0.176 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.4%. AES’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.75%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in AES by 406.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of AES by 232.5% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 2,484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AES by 50.8% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,146 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in AES by 448.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 9,836 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 8,042 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its position in AES by 108.0% during the 4th quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 7,280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 3,780 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company’s stock.

AES Company Profile

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.