ABC Arbitrage SA Invests $1.65 Million in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 17,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. XML Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. PSI Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 1,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Garrison Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 19,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,950,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY now owns 5,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $101.83 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.95. The firm has a market cap of $54.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.01 and a 12-month high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.48% and a return on equity of 11.41%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.