American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Acquired by ING Groep NV

ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 58.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 209,059 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 77,331 shares during the period. ING Groep NV's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $16,980,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BLB&B Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 3,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.4% in the third quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 3,150 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,975 shares of the company's stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 14,598 shares of the company's stock worth $1,186,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,715 shares of the company's stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim lowered shares of American Electric Power from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $81.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. 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 report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com raised American Electric Power from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two equities research 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.com, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $88.43.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $92.67. 2,908,182 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,199,282. The business's 50 day moving average is $85.54 and its 200-day moving average is $82.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.54. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.38 and a 12-month high of $92.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.50.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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.

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