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

The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 5,561 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 31% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,235 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AES

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in AES by 259.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,822 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AES during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AES by 61.0% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 2,006 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of AES during the 1st quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its position in AES by 158.4% in the 2nd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 6,277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 3,848 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company’s stock.

AES Price Performance

AES traded up $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.87. 2,428,526 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,184,341. AES has a 12-month low of $12.33 and a 12-month high of $17.65. The company’s 50-day moving average is $14.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97. The company has a market cap of $10.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 0.96.

AES (NYSE:AES) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.18. AES had a return on equity of 22.66% and a net margin of 10.78%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Research analysts forecast that AES will post 2.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AES Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.176 per share. This represents a $0.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. AES’s payout ratio is currently 37.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AES has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of AES in a report on Monday, June 1st. Susquehanna lowered shares of AES from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of AES from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.71.

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.