Fluent Financial LLC Has $4.77 Million Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Fluent Financial LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 17.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,451 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,833 shares during the period. American Electric Power makes up 2.3% of Fluent Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Fluent Financial LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $4,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power by 57.2% during the 2nd quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.0% during the second quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 2.2% during the second quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 5,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC grew its position in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AEP. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, September 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $107.00 price objective on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $101.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.79.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $100.28. 1,900,833 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,178,522. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $100.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.48. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.38 and a 52 week 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 net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 11.31%. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

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

American Electric Power 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.