American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives $105.77 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $105.77.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $114.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America raised their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $100.99 on Friday. American Electric Power has a one year low of $85.93 and a one year high of $110.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $53.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.03, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.28.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 10.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,249,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,764,000 after purchasing an additional 213,153 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in American Electric Power by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,081 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in American Electric Power by 31.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,075,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,498,000 after buying an additional 738,756 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in American Electric Power by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $563,000 after buying an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 47.3% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 4,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About American Electric Power

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.