AES Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:AES)

The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 5,561 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 31% compared to the typical volume of 4,235 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Argus cut shares of AES from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AES in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Susquehanna downgraded AES from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, AES currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AES

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in AES by 99.8% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,280,668 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,215,000 after buying an additional 7,133,230 shares during the period. Kryger Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AES during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,702,000. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT lifted its position in shares of AES by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Shore Management Inc. CT now owns 6,898,342 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $98,922,000 after buying an additional 1,002,530 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in AES by 247.6% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 968,333 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,185,000 after acquiring an additional 689,741 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC boosted its position in AES by 4,710.9% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 542,528 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,780,000 after purchasing an additional 531,251 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company’s stock.

AES Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of AES traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $14.87. The company had a trading volume of 2,428,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,184,341. AES has a 1-year low of $12.33 and a 1-year high of $17.65. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.71. The stock has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a PE ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97.

AES (NYSE:AES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. AES had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 22.66%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AES will post 2.27 earnings per share for the current year.

AES Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $0.176 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $0.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. AES’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.43%.

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.