American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Acquired by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 5.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 435,479 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,676 shares during the period. American Electric Power makes up approximately 1.7% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $40,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AEP. Bank of America raised American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets lowered 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. Barclays cut their price objective on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.00.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.4 %

American Electric Power stock opened at $97.25 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $96.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.57. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.22 and a 52 week high of $105.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.56.

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.