Hendley & Co. Inc. Takes Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Hendley & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 34,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,812,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 28,591,562 shares of the company's stock worth $2,150,657,000 after acquiring an additional 3,589,451 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 4.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 14,892,850 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,120,240,000 after purchasing an additional 587,145 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 9,798,204 shares of the company's stock worth $737,021,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181,706 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 5.1% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,714,823 shares of the company's stock worth $580,308,000 after purchasing an additional 374,300 shares during the period. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 5,033,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $423,826,000 after buying an additional 75,124 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded down $1.79 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $83.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,872,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,862,643. The stock has a market cap of $43.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.51. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.38 and a 52 week high of $94.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $82.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.03). American Electric Power had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The company had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is 82.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim lowered American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $81.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of American Electric Power from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $75.50 to $73.00 in a report on Friday, March 8th. Cfra reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $92.00 target price (up previously from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $87.08.

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.

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