GWN Securities Inc. Acquires Shares of 9,942 American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 9,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $976,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $105.56 on Friday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.16 and a 12 month high of $109.52. 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 market capitalization of $56.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $100.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.87.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. On average, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Guggenheim raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Scotiabank lowered shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.46.

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.