American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $94.77.

AEP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $73.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP stock opened at $102.05 on Monday. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $69.38 and a 52-week high of $104.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.54.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 13.52%. The business had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.31%.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 57.2% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.