AES Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:AES)

The AES Co. (NYSE:AES – Get Rating) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 3,772 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 141% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,567 call options.

AES Stock Performance

NYSE AES opened at $24.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.18 billion, a PE ratio of -89.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.64. AES has a twelve month low of $18.62 and a twelve month high of $26.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.95.

AES (NYSE:AES – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.02). AES had a positive return on equity of 33.02% and a negative net margin of 2.21%. The business had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that AES will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

AES Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.158 per share. This represents a $0.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 29th. AES’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -233.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AES has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna dropped their target price on AES from $32.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on AES from $29.00 to $28.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 23rd. Credit Suisse Group initiated coverage on AES in a research report on Monday, April 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna Bancshares dropped their target price on AES from $32.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AES presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $28.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AES

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AES. Capital World Investors raised its position in AES by 16.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 64,885,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,669,511,000 after purchasing an additional 9,070,170 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in AES by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 69,975,664 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,700,403,000 after purchasing an additional 7,233,542 shares in the last quarter. AGF Investments Inc. raised its position in AES by 92.1% in the 1st quarter. AGF Investments Inc. now owns 5,764,558 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $148,322,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763,753 shares in the last quarter. Third Point LLC raised its position in AES by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. Third Point LLC now owns 5,750,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $139,725,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP raised its position in AES by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP now owns 10,000,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $243,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700,000 shares in the last quarter. 92.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AES

(Get Rating)

The AES Corporation operates as a diversified power generation and utility company. It owns and/or operates power plants to generate and sell power to customers, such as utilities, industrial users, and other intermediaries. The company also 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.

Featured Stories

• Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on AES (AES)
• MarketBeat: Week in Review 8/1 – 8/5
• How to Use High Beta Stocks to Maximize Your Investing Profits
• Cronos Group Inc’s Revenues Are Up, Is It Time to Buy?
• Beyond Meat Is Not Beyond Hope, And It’s Cheap
• Why Apple Could Be At All-Time Highs By Year End

Want More Great Investing Ideas?