UMB Bank n.a. Cuts Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

UMB Bank n.a. reduced its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Rating) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,893 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $3,883,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AEP. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $211,000. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 30,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 3,558 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 205,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,569,000 after purchasing an additional 30,836 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 36,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,643,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. 74.33% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on AEP shares. Cfra increased their price target on American Electric Power from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $103.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Friday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America downgraded American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $101.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Monday, December 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.83.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock opened at $90.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.65. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $80.30 and a one year high of $105.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.44.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.99 by $0.06. American Electric Power had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 10.75%. The business had revenue of $4.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 10th were issued a $0.83 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 9th. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.66%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other American Electric Power news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 3,998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.44, for a total value of $357,581.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,405,460.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Electric Power news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 3,998 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.44, for a total value of $357,581.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,405,460.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 884 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.99, for a total transaction of $80,435.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,331 shares in the company, valued at approximately $667,047.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 63,897 shares of company stock valued at $5,723,900 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

About American Electric Power

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American Electric Power Co, Inc engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission and Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco, and Generation and Marketing. The Vertically Integrated Utilities segment covers the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers.