210,220 Shares in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Bought by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 210,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,389,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $220,983,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,416,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $591,791,000 after buying an additional 2,165,888 shares during the period. Cohen & Steers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $121,605,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,120,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $472,270,000 after buying an additional 1,105,317 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 51,690,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,767,425,000 after buying an additional 763,813 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 now owns 9,658 shares in the company, valued at $991,683.44. This trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:AEP traded up $0.62 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 business's fifty day moving average is $104.88 and its 200 day moving average is $100.73. The company has a market cap of $55.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $85.93 and a 52 week high of $110.48.

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 the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEP has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Barclays upped their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.