American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. decreased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,114 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,291 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $5,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 57,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,310,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in American Electric Power by 436.9% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,092 shares of the company's stock worth $654,000 after acquiring an additional 5,771 shares in the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $419,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in American Electric Power by 3.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,667,000 after acquiring an additional 19,081 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ:AEP traded down $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $104.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,056,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,161,980. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.93 and a 52-week high of $110.48. The company has a market capitalization of $55.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The business's 50-day moving average is $105.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.22.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced 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. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. The business had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on AEP. Barclays lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $114.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $105.77.

American Electric Power Company 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.