American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Sees Strong Trading Volume

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 1,715,157 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the previous session’s volume of 3,399,753 shares.The stock last traded at $88.34 and had previously closed at $87.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $86.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.92.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $88.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $440,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $580,140. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other American Electric Power news, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 5,880 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.25, for a total value of $518,910.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,385 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $563,476.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $440,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,140. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Apella Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $348,000. Rockline Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth about $1,982,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 28.1% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,096,000 after buying an additional 11,065 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 34.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 62,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,115,000 after buying an additional 16,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 1,592.1% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 414,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,612,000 after buying an additional 389,675 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Company 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.