National Pension Service Decreases Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

National Pension Service lowered its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,435,964 shares of the company’s stock after selling 97,292 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.27% of American Electric Power worth $132,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Price Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $106.89 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $97.43 and a 200-day moving average of $98.26. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.16 and a 52-week high of $107.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Guggenheim raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Company Profile

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.