American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,034,570 shares of the company's stock after selling 183,259 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 1.15% of American Electric Power worth $490,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at $36,000. JNBA Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 91.6% during the third quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 479 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on AEP. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on American Electric Power from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group downgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $88.14.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded down $0.09 on Monday, reaching $91.52. 2,001,474 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,693,464. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.38 and a fifty-two week high of $92.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $84.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.51.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.31%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.