American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Bought by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,929 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,079 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 57.2% during the second 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. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 935.9% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the period. Briaud Financial Planning Inc increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 52.1% during the second quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 438 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock opened at $99.11 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.07. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $74.37 and a twelve month high of $105.18. The company has a market capitalization of $52.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.54.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 13.52%. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.74 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEP. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank increased 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 note on Tuesday, August 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.