Cozad Asset Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 2,253 American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management Inc. took a new position in American Electric Power Company by purchasing 2,253 shares worth approximately $246,000 in the first quarter.
• Insider selling was reported, with two executives, Quinton S. Lies and David Matthew Feinberg, selling over 18,000 shares combined, indicating potential uncertainty among insiders.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.93 per share, which equates to a yield of 3.28% and suggests a sustainable dividend payout ratio of 71.68%.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $246,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AEP. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.5% in 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 during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 18,982 shares of the company's stock worth $1,751,000 after buying an additional 1,290 shares during the period. Diametric Capital LP purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $208,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,808,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,178,174,000 after purchasing an additional 283,311 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,258,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded up $0.44 on Friday, reaching $113.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,925,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,067,441. The company has a market capitalization of $60.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.40. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $104.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.95. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.91 and a 52 week high of $114.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.16. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 17.68%. The company had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. American Electric Power's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is 54.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on AEP. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group raised their target price on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho raised their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank raised their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $111.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.74, for a total value of $819,820.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,045,276.76. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $991,683.44. The trade was 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 quarter. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.