Analysts Set American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target at $97.13

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $97.13.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays decreased 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. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on 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, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $90.47 on Friday. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $75.22 and a 52-week high of $105.18. The business’s fifty day moving average is $95.02 and its 200 day moving average is $96.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $48.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $580,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in American Electric Power by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 281,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,711,000 after purchasing an additional 2,606 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in American Electric Power by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 152,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,384,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 14.8% in the 2nd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 902 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.