First Horizon Advisors Inc. Decreases Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 85.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,902 shares of the company's stock after selling 154,438 shares during the quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on AEP shares. 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. Guggenheim boosted 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Electric Power news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,658 shares in the company, valued at $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,314 shares of company stock worth $3,508,293 in the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $103.41. 1,620,520 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,215,880. The company has a market cap of $55.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's 50 day moving average is $103.29 and its 200 day moving average is $101.81. 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 $86.83 and a 12-month high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 13.73%. American Electric Power's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

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.