Thoma Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Thoma Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $743,000. American Electric Power makes up about 0.5% of Thoma Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $223,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. SouthState Corp increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 6,611 shares of the company's stock worth $610,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,112 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $103.15. The stock had a trading volume of 3,896,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,212,943. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.42, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $85.93 and a twelve month high of $110.48. The stock's 50 day moving average is $104.87 and its 200 day moving average is $100.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

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 business had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. The company's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays upped their price target on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upped their price target on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America upped their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.69.

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.