SG Americas Securities LLC Has $16.68 Million Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 115.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 152,632 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 81,634 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $16,678,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 89.7% during the 4th quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 6,398 shares of the company's stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 3,026 shares during the last quarter. Certuity LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $245,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $372,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $1,736,000. Finally, Fortress Financial Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $319,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.75.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $103.02. The company had a trading volume of 2,124,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,198,638. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $55.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $85.93 and a twelve month high of $110.48. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $104.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.09.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total transaction of $829,387.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,707,116.12. This represents a 23.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 26,256 shares of company stock worth $2,688,472 in the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.