Nomura Holdings Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 43.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 541,639 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 163,722 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $49,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 57,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after buying an additional 3,288 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 23,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,206,000 after buying an additional 4,370 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 436.9% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $654,000 after purchasing an additional 5,771 shares in the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $419,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 136.6% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 13,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 7,918 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on AEP shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.77.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP opened at $99.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $53.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $105.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.93 and a 1 year high of $110.48.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

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.