Wedbush Securities Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 18.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,901 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,433 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. SouthState Corp lifted its position in American Electric Power by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 6,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 1,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 12,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock opened at $104.48 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.26. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.16 and a 52 week high of $110.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.43.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is presently 66.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AEP shares. Guggenheim raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America raised their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Scotiabank downgraded American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $100.77.

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.