Alta Advisers Ltd Invests $299,000 in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Alta Advisers Ltd acquired a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,739 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $299,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company's stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $149,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $819,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,568 shares of the company's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,937 shares of the company's stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AEP shares. Bank of America increased their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on 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. Raymond James Financial began coverage on American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on 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, UBS Group increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.31.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ:AEP traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $103.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,620,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,223,733. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.42. 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 50 day moving average price of $103.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 13.73%. The business had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.74, for a total transaction of $819,820.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,045,276.76. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owned 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

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.