American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Acquired by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,880 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,505 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $5,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays cut their target price on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $105.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.16 and a 52-week high of $105.73. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $96.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.08. The firm has a market cap of $56.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.43%.

About American Electric Power

American Electric Power Company, Inc, an electric public utility holding company, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. It operates through Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission and Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco, and Generation & Marketing segments.