American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target Raised to $100.00 at UBS Group

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) had its price objective upped by UBS Group from $95.00 to $100.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a sell rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.08.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of AEP stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $101.79. 2,045,035 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,194,729. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.18, 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 current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $104.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.93. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $85.93 and a 52-week high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.68%.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares in the company, valued at $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total transaction of $829,387.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,707,116.12. This trade represents a 23.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bank of New Hampshire acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.