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

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $97.13.

Several brokerages recently commented on AEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 target price (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. 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 price objective on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 14.8% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 281,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,711,000 after acquiring an additional 2,606 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 152,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,384,000 after acquiring an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.1 %

American Electric Power stock opened at $92.05 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. American Electric Power has a 12 month low of $75.22 and a 12 month high of $105.18. The stock has a market cap of $48.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.55.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.55%.

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.