Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 533.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,857 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,881 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,061,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 7.6% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,141 shares of the company's stock worth $4,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,969 shares during the period. Court Place Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 13.7% in the first quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 2,812 shares of the company's stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its stake in American Electric Power by 9.4% in the first quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 7,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 328.0% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 672 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares during the period. Finally, First National Bank & Trust Co. of Newtown bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $224,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.7%

AEP stock traded down $0.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $105.34. 2,473,878 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,224,776. The firm's 50 day moving average is $103.04 and its 200 day moving average is $102.17. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.61 and a twelve month high of $110.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $56.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity 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 transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,045,276.76. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.31.

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.