American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Bought by Maple Brown Abbott Ltd

Maple Brown Abbott Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,688,890 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 78,510 shares during the period. American Electric Power accounts for approximately 14.1% of Maple Brown Abbott Ltd's holdings, making the stock its largest holding. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd owned approximately 0.32% of American Electric Power worth $137,155,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Archer Investment Corp increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 112.5% in the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 15,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,243,000 after buying an additional 8,100 shares during the period. Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 59,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,836,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $363,000. Finally, Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $422,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their price target on American Electric Power from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho lowered American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $83.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on American Electric Power from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Cfra restated a "buy" rating and issued a $92.00 price target (up from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $81.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $87.15.

American Electric Power Trading Up 2.2 %

AEP stock traded up $1.73 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $81.24. 2,290,496 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,775,774. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $82.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $42.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.51. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $69.38 and a one year high of $94.73.

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). The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.12 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.05 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.33%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.82%.

American Electric Power 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.