Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. Takes Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 2,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. XML Financial LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 3.8% in the third quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 1,113 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Garrison Asset Management LLC now owns 19,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 2.2% in the third quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY now owns 5,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $105.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58. 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 50 day moving average of $97.71 and a 200 day moving average of $98.31. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.16 and a 12-month high of $107.84.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.46.

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.