Clarius Group LLC Sells 196 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Clarius Group LLC decreased its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,871 shares of the company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in American Electric Power by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,667,000 after buying an additional 19,081 shares during the last quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $3,404,000. J2 Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $419,000. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 244.3% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 294,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,217,000 after purchasing an additional 208,974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $303,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Scotiabank cut American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 target price (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.00.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $97.25 on Monday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.22 and a fifty-two week high of $105.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $94.52 and its 200 day moving average is $96.91. The company has a market capitalization of $51.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.57.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 74.55%.

American Electric Power Company Profile

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.