Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Acquires 802 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 25.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,937 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 802 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on AEP. Barclays cut their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Scotiabank cut shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.46.

American Electric Power Price Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $105.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.16 and a 52-week high of $109.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $98.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.52.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

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.