American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $105.69.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AEP shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total value of $829,387.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,298 shares in the company, valued at $2,707,116.12. This trade represents a 23.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $1,041,277.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $568,042,000. GQG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 30.4% during the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 19,631,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,145,130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,570,941 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 24.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 22,102,537 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,415,144,000 after purchasing an additional 4,323,569 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $220,983,000. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 51.0% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,416,474 shares of the company's stock worth $591,791,000 after purchasing an additional 2,165,888 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP traded down $0.08 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $101.77. 2,033,124 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,192,765. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. The stock's fifty day moving average is $104.72 and its 200 day moving average is $100.90. American Electric Power has a 1-year low of $85.93 and a 1-year high of $110.48. The stock has a market cap of $54.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.42.

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

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

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.