BLB&B Advisors LLC Increases Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

BLB&B Advisors LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,205 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 542.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,282,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,927,234 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in American Electric Power by 381.9% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,995,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $171,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581,734 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in American Electric Power by 221.9% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,715,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,140,000 after acquiring an additional 1,182,451 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP grew its position in American Electric Power by 578.2% in the 1st quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 975,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,948,000 after acquiring an additional 831,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter worth $67,669,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $100.83 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $53.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $100.52 and its 200 day moving average is $93.63. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.75 and a 1-year high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AEP shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $107.00 price objective on the stock. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.43.

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.