Bfsg LLC Trims Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Bfsg LLC lessened its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 223 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AEP. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 57,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,310,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 23,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,206,000 after purchasing an additional 4,370 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 436.9% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $654,000 after purchasing an additional 5,771 shares during the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $419,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,081 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $102.20 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.16 and a 1-year high of $105.18. The stock has a market cap of $54.38 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $95.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.96.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.48% and a return on equity of 11.41%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.64%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on AEP shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

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.