Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $9.41 Million Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Retirement Systems of Alabama lowered its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 76.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 115,897 shares of the company's stock after selling 383,590 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $9,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 304.8% in the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 425 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. JNBA Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 91.6% in the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 479 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:AEP traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $88.60. 3,332,409 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,771,451. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $46.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.35, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $69.38 and a 52-week high of $92.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $83.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.77.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 14.60% and a return on equity of 11.23%. American Electric Power's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AEP. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $75.50 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, March 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on American Electric Power from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim downgraded American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $81.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $88.14.

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.