B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Buys 1,290 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 18,982 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,290 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,751,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ AEP opened at $107.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $57.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.16 and a 1-year high of $109.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $103.44 and a 200-day moving average of $99.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

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 return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on AEP. Guggenheim raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Scotiabank downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.77.

American Electric Power 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.