American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $127.3947.

AEP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $128.00 to $137.00 in a research note on Monday, November 17th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 5,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $102,000. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. now owns 20,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209 shares during the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $379,000. Finally, Ignite Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 5,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ AEP opened at $120.80 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $64.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.62. American Electric Power has a fifty-two week low of $97.46 and a fifty-two week high of $124.80. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.69.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

American Electric Power Company Profile

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.