Accel Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Accel Wealth Management boosted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 16.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,103 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Accel Wealth Management’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Apella Capital LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $348,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,615,000. Rockline Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,982,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,096,000 after purchasing an additional 11,065 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 34.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 62,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,115,000 after purchasing an additional 16,225 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

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

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP stock opened at $87.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market cap of $46.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.53. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.38 and a 12-month high of $93.44. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $88.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.28.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 14.60%. The firm had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th were paid a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.02%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 65.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on AEP shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $98.00 to $94.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. 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. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.62.

American Electric Power Profile

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.