Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 1,536 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lessened its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 2.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 73,380 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,536 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $6,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 49,630,436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,273,181,000 after purchasing an additional 405,114 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 9.9% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,586,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $739,303,000 after acquiring an additional 776,965 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,983,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,311,000 after acquiring an additional 147,826 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 67.7% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,586,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,055,000 after acquiring an additional 1,043,885 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 542.4% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,282,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,927,234 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $440,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,140. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other American Electric Power news, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 5,880 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.25, for a total value of $518,910.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,385 shares in the company, valued at approximately $563,476.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $440,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,140. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $86.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $89.15.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Monday, reaching $97.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,108,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,242,766. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.53. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $69.38 and a one year high of $97.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $89.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $85.43.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.11 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

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.