Southland Equity Partners LLC Has $457,000 Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Southland Equity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,180 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Southland Equity Partners LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AEP. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 4,842 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the period. Certuity LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $245,000. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $372,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on AEP. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Raymond James began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $108.31.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total value of $829,387.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,707,116.12. This trade represents a 23.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This trade represents a 51.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,256 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,472. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of AEP stock opened at $102.90 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $104.17 and a 200-day moving average of $101.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $85.93 and a 12-month high of $110.48. The company has a market capitalization of $54.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.42.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.46 billion during 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 was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 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 Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.68%.

American Electric Power 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.