Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. Raises Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 68.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,471 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. SouthState Corp grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 6,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 1,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 0.9% during the fourth 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. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.7 %

NASDAQ AEP opened at $106.96 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market cap of $57.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $102.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.10. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.16 and a 12 month high of $109.52.

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

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank lowered American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 target price (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $100.77.

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.