American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $98.43.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AEP. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of AEP stock opened at $100.16 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $100.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.54. American Electric Power has a 1 year low of $72.01 and a 1 year high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 13.52%. The company had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that American Electric Power will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 35.7% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $211,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 24.3% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 4,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in American Electric Power by 17.3% during the 1st quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 3,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at $9,356,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Company 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.