American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Purchased by Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,883 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 3.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,081 shares during the last quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth approximately $3,404,000. ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 244.3% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 294,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,217,000 after buying an additional 208,974 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,815,000. Finally, Executive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,788,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $96.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s 50 day moving average is $94.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.77. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.22 and a 12-month high of $105.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.55%.

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.