American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by First Financial Corp IN

First Financial Corp IN trimmed its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 29.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 475 shares of the company’s stock after selling 196 shares during the period. First Financial Corp IN’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $52,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $105.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $103.18 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $104.86 and a 200-day moving average of $100.88. The company has a market cap of $55.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $85.93 and a one year high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.68%.

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.