Claro Advisors LLC Acquires 163 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Claro Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,026 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC raised its position in American Electric Power by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 639,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,136,000 after purchasing an additional 127,047 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth about $240,000. Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 41.6% during the 3rd quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 12,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 3,676 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 9,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. UBS Group lowered shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.62.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.5 %

American Electric Power stock opened at $87.28 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.38 and a fifty-two week high of $93.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day moving average is $88.84 and its 200-day moving average is $84.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.03%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 5,880 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.25, for a total transaction of $518,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $563,476.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 5,880 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.25, for a total transaction of $518,910.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $563,476.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $440,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $580,140. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.