CWA Asset Management Group LLC Acquires 5,095 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 34.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,779 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,095 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AEP. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on AEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. 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 stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total transaction of $829,387.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,707,116.12. This represents a 23.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 34,314 shares of company stock worth $3,508,293. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.5%

AEP stock traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $101.75. The stock had a trading volume of 4,083,531 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,211,986. The firm has a market cap of $54.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 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 Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.93 and a 12-month high of $110.48. The company's 50-day moving average price is $104.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.17.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.66%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

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.