ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd Sells 93,131 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd lowered its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,293,244 shares of the company's stock after selling 93,131 shares during the quarter. American Electric Power makes up approximately 4.4% of ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd owned approximately 0.24% of American Electric Power worth $141,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter worth $28,000. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock traded up $0.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $109.79. 2,282,337 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,699,015. The company has a 50-day moving average of $103.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.33. The company has a market capitalization of $58.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $89.91 and a twelve month high of $110.51. 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 posted its 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 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 analyst estimates of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $1,041,277.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,045,276.76. This represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,314 shares of company stock worth $3,508,293. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays boosted 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. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.31.

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.