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

Secure Asset Management LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 22.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,916 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,370 shares during the quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on AEP shares. Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on 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. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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 $97.47 on Friday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.22 and a 12 month high of $105.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $94.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.11.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 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.