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

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $94.77.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEP. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of AEP stock opened at $100.28 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. American Electric Power has a twelve month low of $69.38 and a twelve month high of $104.41. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $94.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.95. The stock has a market cap of $53.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.53.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The business had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $440,820.00. Following 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 57.2% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at $29,000. 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.