American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC cut its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,870 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,205 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 2.0% in 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 holdings in American Electric Power by 2.2% in the second quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 5,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. First United Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 17.1% during the third quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 766 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.9% during the first quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $266,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $100.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $100.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $72.01 and a 52-week high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.74 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.52% and a return on equity of 11.31%. American Electric Power’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Friday, September 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $107.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.43.

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.