Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 148,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 price target (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.46.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP opened at $102.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.16 and a 52-week high of $109.52. The firm has a market cap of $54.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average is $99.97 and its 200-day moving average is $98.78.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

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.