IFM Investors Pty Ltd Increases Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 147,950 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $15,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.74, for a total transaction of $819,820.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,045,276.76. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293 in the last ninety days. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEP. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $108.31.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP traded down $0.21 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $103.96. The company had a trading volume of 2,744,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,224,402. The company has a fifty day moving average of $103.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $86.83 and a 12 month high of $110.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.