AES (NYSE:AES) Downgraded by Susquehanna to Neutral

Susquehanna downgraded shares of AES (NYSE:AES) from a positive rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Susquehanna currently has $15.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $16.00.

AES has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Argus cut shares of AES from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of AES in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Mizuho cut shares of AES from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price target (down from $23.00) on shares of AES in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AES from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AES presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.09.

AES Price Performance

NYSE AES opened at $14.41 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94. AES has a 12-month low of $9.46 and a 12-month high of $17.65. The company has a market capitalization of $10.27 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.00 and its 200-day moving average is $14.41.

AES (NYSE:AES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.13. The company 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 last year, the company earned $0.54 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that AES will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AES Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.176 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. AES’s payout ratio is presently 55.56%.

Institutional Trading of AES

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of AES by 406.5% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,869 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of AES by 232.5% in 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 during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AES in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,146 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its position in shares of AES by 108.0% in the fourth quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 7,280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 3,780 shares during the period. 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.