American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lowered its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,666 shares of the company’s stock after selling 641 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $106.21 on Friday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.16 and a 52 week high of $109.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market cap of $56.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $101.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.05.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank lowered shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $99.92.

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.