Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Increases Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 46,973 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,129 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $4,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 106,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,959,000 after purchasing an additional 10,173 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 6.4% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 114,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,753,000 after buying an additional 6,928 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter worth about $19,550,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 258.9% in the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 55,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,688,000 after acquiring an additional 39,989 shares during the period. Finally, Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 2.2% during the third quarter. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC now owns 9,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $106.96 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.16 and a 12-month high of $109.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $102.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on AEP. Scotiabank downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $100.77.

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.