China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $1.44 Million Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 52.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,170 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,503 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company's stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $149,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 36.1% in the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,800 shares of the company's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $260,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.7%

AEP traded down $0.70 on Friday, reaching $105.34. 2,473,878 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,226,904. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $103.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $102.25. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $89.84 and a 52-week high of $110.48. The company has a market cap of $56.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.73% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The firm had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Electric Power news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,045,276.76. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,314 shares of company stock worth $3,508,293 over the last ninety days. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.