American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Holdings Lessened by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC has reduced its holdings in American Electric Power Company by 15.4%, owning 42,694 shares worth approximately $4.67 million after the sale.
• Various institutional investors increased their stakes in American Electric Power, with notable increases from Kingswood Wealth Advisors (14.8%) and GAMMA Investing LLC (24.5%).
• American Electric Power recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.93 per share, which translates to an annualized dividend yield of 3.3%.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lowered its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 15.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,694 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,781 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $4,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clarius Group LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 2.5% during the first quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 3,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the company's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 3.0% during the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the company's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the company's stock worth $2,572,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 4,537 shares of the company's stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AEP shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Scotiabank boosted 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, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Guggenheim boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on American Electric Power from $105.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $111.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the 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 $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,045,276.76. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 34,314 shares of company stock worth $3,508,293. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.0%

AEP stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $111.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,576,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,626,442. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $89.91 and a 52-week high of $115.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $104.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.37, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, 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 results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.16. American Electric Power had a net margin of 17.68% and a return on equity of 11.55%. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.25 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.39%.

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.