Leavell Investment Management Inc. Acquires 575 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 22.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,160 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $291,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. XML Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 10.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.6% during the third quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 19,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,950,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.2% during the third quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY now owns 5,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $101.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.01 and a twelve month high of $105.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $95.45 and a 200-day moving average of $97.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.48% and a return on equity of 11.41%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 74.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the subject of several research reports. Scotiabank downgraded American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America upgraded shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.00.

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.