American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Claro Advisors LLC

Claro Advisors LLC lessened its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,766 shares of the company’s stock after selling 474 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,653,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 51.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 257,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,582,000 after purchasing an additional 87,075 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the second quarter worth approximately $217,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 43,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,819,000 after acquiring an additional 2,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in American Electric Power by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 130,313 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,523,000 after purchasing an additional 2,142 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.93 during trading on Monday, reaching $94.44. 3,709,474 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,360,845. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.41. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.22 and a fifty-two week high of $105.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $94.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This is a boost from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on AEP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 target price (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Barclays lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.00.

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.