Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Acquires 23,094 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 461,865 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,094 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL owned about 0.09% of American Electric Power worth $37,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 222.0% in the third quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2,343.8% in the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 391 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded down $0.81 on Friday, reaching $82.10. 2,409,361 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,813,531. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.38 and a 12 month high of $94.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.70. The stock has a market cap of $43.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.51.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is 82.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $81.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $83.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $75.50 to $73.00 in a research note on Friday, March 8th. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $87.08.

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.

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