Strategic Planning Group LLC Has $1.30 Million Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Strategic Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 18.9% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 15,137 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,403 shares during the quarter. Strategic Planning Group LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 24,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after buying an additional 1,018 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 127,047 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 4,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 129,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,728,000 after purchasing an additional 43,122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $240,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In other news, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $440,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,446 shares in the company, valued at $580,140. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other 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 directly owns 6,385 shares in the company, valued at $563,476.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $440,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $580,140. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $88.21 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $46.50 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 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 has a 50-day moving average price of $88.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $83.98.

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

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were given a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.99%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AEP. UBS Group lowered American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $86.00 to $83.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $98.00 to $94.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Scotiabank increased their target price on American Electric Power from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays increased their target price on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Cfra restated a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 price objective (up from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $88.62.

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.