Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 192,104 American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 192,104 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,718,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of AEP. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded down $1.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $97.86. 1,421,168 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,171,034. The company has a market capitalization of $52.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. 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 business's 50 day moving average is $105.55 and its 200-day moving average is $100.27. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $85.93 and a 1 year high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. The company had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. American Electric Power's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on AEP. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $114.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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. Citigroup raised their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One research 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, American Electric Power has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.77.

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.