Cerity Partners LLC Raises Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 36.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,446 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 10,842 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $3,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Hendley & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $2,812,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 43,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,514,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. West Bancorporation Inc. purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Eagle Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 4,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Up 2.2 %

AEP opened at $81.24 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $42.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $69.38 and a one year high of $94.73. The business’s fifty day moving average is $82.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $79.85.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.03). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 11.64%. The business had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.33%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $75.50 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, March 8th. UBS Group cut shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Cfra reissued a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 price target (up previously from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.08.

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.