GWN Securities Inc. Makes New $976,000 Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

GWN Securities Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 9,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $976,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. PSI Advisors LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 1,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in American Electric Power by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 12,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,119,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in American Electric Power by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $105.56 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $56.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $100.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.87. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.16 and a twelve month high of $109.52.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Scotiabank lowered American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.46.

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.