American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Raymond James

Raymond James began coverage on shares of American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in a report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Barclays raised their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $108.31.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $102.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,388,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,207,021. The stock's 50-day moving average is $104.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. American Electric Power has a one year low of $85.93 and a one year high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is 71.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares of the company's stock, valued at $991,683.44. This trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.49, for a total value of $817,806.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,332 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,860,514.68. This represents a 30.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,256 shares of company stock worth $2,688,472 in the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

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.