Central Bank & Trust Co. Has $317,000 Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Central Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 20.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,900 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 31.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,075,032 shares of the company’s stock worth $315,498,000 after purchasing an additional 738,756 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in American Electric Power by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,736,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in American Electric Power by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,322,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,947,000 after acquiring an additional 5,552 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 70,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,537,000 after acquiring an additional 4,289 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $101.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $104.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.02. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $85.93 and a fifty-two week high of $110.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 71.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AEP shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group raised their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.75.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% 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 hyperlink. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total value of $829,387.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,298 shares in the company, valued at $2,707,116.12. The trade was a 23.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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.