Stephens Inc. AR Has $13.17 Million Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 14.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 120,496 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,167 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $13,167,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,274 shares in the company, valued at $1,045,276.76. This trade represents a 43.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at $991,683.44. This trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,314 shares of company stock valued at $3,508,293 over the last 90 days. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of AEP stock traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $105.52. 1,477,656 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,221,643. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $89.91 and a 1-year high of $110.48. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $102.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $102.50. The company has a market cap of $56.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 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, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. 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 3.53%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on AEP shares. Guggenheim increased their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Bank of America upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.31.

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.