J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 98.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,556 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,671 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $3,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,331 shares of the company's stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at about $262,000. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth approximately $205,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 24.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 19,678 shares of the company's stock worth $2,150,000 after purchasing an additional 3,867 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 26.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 355,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,848,000 after buying an additional 73,488 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $107.40 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market capitalization of $57.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.42. The stock's 50 day moving average is $102.92 and its 200 day moving average is $102.87. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $89.91 and a twelve month high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. The business 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%. The company's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AEP. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays raised 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on 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, Guggenheim lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company 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 issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,045,276.76. This trade represents a 43.96% 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 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Company 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.

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