American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives $98.00 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.46.

A number of research firms have recently commented on AEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on 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. Bank of America raised American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $106.05 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 firm has a market cap of $56.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $97.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.38. American Electric Power has a 12-month low of $79.16 and a 12-month high of $107.84.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.