UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock Price

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its target price hoisted by UBS Group from $91.00 to $95.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a sell rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $107.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.27.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP traded up $0.18 during trading on Thursday, hitting $96.51. 1,448,583 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,149,102. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $100.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.79. The company has a market cap of $51.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.55. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $74.97 and a 52-week high of $105.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.85%. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 70.12%.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 57.2% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. XML Financial LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Garrison Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 during the period. Finally, Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY grew its position in American Electric Power by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY now owns 5,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.