49 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $421,000.
Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,416,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $591,791,000 after purchasing an additional 2,165,888 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 13,499.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,150,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,954,000 after purchasing an additional 2,134,404 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 4,567.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,764,677 shares of the company's stock valued at $192,827,000 after buying an additional 1,726,868 shares during the period. Cohen & Steers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $121,605,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $472,270,000 after buying an additional 1,105,317 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
American Electric Power Stock Performance
NASDAQ:AEP opened at $104.17 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $86.83 and a 52 week high of $110.48. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $102.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $55.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.42.
American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 13.73%. American Electric Power's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
American Electric Power Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.68%.
Insider Activity at American Electric Power
In other news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.74, for a total value of $819,820.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,045,276.76. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293 in the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages recently weighed in on AEP. Citigroup increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $108.31.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AEP
American Electric Power Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AEP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report).

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