American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Stake Increased by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 167.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,507 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,958 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $772,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 344,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,970,000 after acquiring an additional 4,926 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in American Electric Power by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 165,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,410,000 after buying an additional 2,050 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 36.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $586,000 after acquiring an additional 1,918 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its position in American Electric Power by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 12,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 74,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,044,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of AEP opened at $89.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $84.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.54. The company has a market cap of $47.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $69.38 and a 52-week high of $92.88.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a net margin of 14.60% and a return on equity of 11.23%. The firm had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.11 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AEP shares. StockNews.com raised shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho downgraded American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on American Electric Power from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on American Electric Power from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.14.

American Electric Power 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.