111 Capital Purchases New Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

111 Capital bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $347,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $220,983,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 51.0% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,416,474 shares of the company's stock worth $591,791,000 after buying an additional 2,165,888 shares during the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $121,605,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in American Electric Power by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,120,568 shares of the company's stock worth $472,270,000 after buying an additional 1,105,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in American Electric Power by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 51,690,606 shares of the company's stock worth $4,767,425,000 after buying an additional 763,813 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.83. 2,423,158 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,198,197. The business has a 50-day moving average of $104.82 and a 200 day moving average of $100.89. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $85.93 and a fifty-two week high of $110.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $105.69.

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.