Crowley Wealth Management Inc. Takes $419,000 Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $419,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 27,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after purchasing an additional 1,131 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at approximately $377,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.7% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 52,427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,379,000 after buying an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its position in American Electric Power by 8.6% in the third quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 7,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $744,000 after acquiring an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,199,000 after acquiring an additional 2,790 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of AEP stock opened at $105.11 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $101.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.07. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.16 and a 52 week high of $109.52. The stock has a market cap of $56.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. 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 (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. 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

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AEP shares. Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Scotiabank cut American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.92.

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.