American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives $86.08 Consensus PT from Analysts

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the twelve research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.08.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Electric Power from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Mizuho cut shares of American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $83.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Cfra reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $92.00 target price (up from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ AEP traded down $0.64 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $86.03. The company had a trading volume of 5,738,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,771,013. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $83.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.67. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $69.38 and a 12-month high of $93.56. The company has a market capitalization of $45.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.24, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.53.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by ($0.09). American Electric Power had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.11 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is 82.82%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 222.0% during the 3rd quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.