Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Purchases 9,425 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 32.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,657 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 9,425 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $4,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company's stock worth $978,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $149,000. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 20,271 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,870,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $819,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 4,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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 lifted their price objective 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. 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 research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, 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. One 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $108.31.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $103.76 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $86.83 and a 52-week high of $110.48. The company's 50 day moving average price is $103.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.73% and a return on equity of 11.68%. The company's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.68%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of American Electric Power 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 owned 9,658 shares in the company, valued at $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,045,276.76. The trade was a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

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.

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