AES (NYSE:AES) Earns Equal Weight Rating from Morgan Stanley

AES (NYSE:AES)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reissued by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $15.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock, down from their prior price target of $23.00. Morgan Stanley’s price target suggests a potential upside of 5.34% from the company’s current price.

AES has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of AES in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of AES from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of AES in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded shares of AES from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Mizuho lowered shares of AES from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.27.

AES Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AES opened at $14.24 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $15.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.90, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.95. AES has a one year low of $9.46 and a one year high of $17.65.

AES (NYSE:AES) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.13. AES had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.54 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AES will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury lifted its holdings in AES by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 169,520 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,483,000 after buying an additional 15,661 shares during the period. Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AES in the 4th quarter worth about $1,313,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of AES by 43.3% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 162,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 49,215 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its position in shares of AES by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 171,661 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,462,000 after buying an additional 16,289 shares during the period. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its stake in AES by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 14,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting AES

Here are the key news stories impacting AES this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Buyout agreed at $15 per share — a private-equity consortium arranged to take AES private at roughly $10.7B, which fixes a cash price that anchors the stock and supports a higher trading level than pre-deal levels. AES parent to be bought for $10.7B by private equity
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — AES reported $0.81 EPS vs. $0.68 expected and revenue slightly above estimates, which supports valuation and likely contributed to elevated trading volume after the report. AES: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Consent solicitation for senior notes — AES has launched amendments to indentures for certain outstanding notes; this is typically done to clear financing or covenant issues tied to a transaction, reducing execution risk for the buyout. AES Announces Launch of Consent Solicitation for Senior Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Third‑party commentary and analysis — multiple Seeking Alpha pieces and other writeups discuss the take‑private mechanics and investor lessons; useful context but not direct drivers. AES Corp.: Exiting The Stock Exchange
• Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated ticker noise — coverage of Atlas Energy Solutions (AESI) appears in feeds but is a different company (ticker AESI), so it can confuse volume/attention metrics. Atlas Energy Solutions (AESI) Reports $1.1B FY2025 Revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder investigations and litigation risk — law firms (Kaskela; Kahn Swick & Foti) have launched probes into whether the $15 buyout price is fair, creating execution/legal risk and potential delay or renegotiation. Shareholder Investigation Launched by Kaskela Law Firm AES Investor Alert: Kahn Swick & Foti Investigates
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political pushback — Indiana officials and the state treasurer have voiced concerns that the deal/process may not protect local customers; public scrutiny could invite regulatory conditions or slower approvals. State treasurer warns AES-BlackRock deal won’t prioritize Indiana residents
• Negative Sentiment: Customer backlash and PR incidents — AES Indiana canceled a community open house after threats and faces complaints over high winter bills; reputational and regulatory attention could pressure valuation or create operational distractions. AES Indiana cancels first community open house due to threats AES customer concerns grow as prices rise amid company buyout
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade — Mizuho cut AES to “Hold,” reflecting skepticism about upside beyond the deal price and adding near‑term selling pressure. AES Cut to “Hold” at Mizuho

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.