Armis Advisers LLC Invests $239,000 in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Armis Advisers LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AEP. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Bank of America upped 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 upped their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $105.69.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $103.15. The stock had a trading volume of 3,896,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,203,700. The firm's 50 day moving average is $104.88 and its 200 day moving average is $100.78. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $85.93 and a twelve month high of $110.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.42, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. The company 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 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company 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.