Advisory Alpha LLC Acquires 390 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Advisory Alpha LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,717 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 390 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 436.9% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 5,771 shares during the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $419,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 3.1% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,081 shares during the last quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $3,404,000. Finally, ING Groep NV increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 244.3% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 294,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,217,000 after purchasing an additional 208,974 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $97.49 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $51.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.56. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.22 and a 1 year high of $105.18.

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 paid 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 3.82%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 target price (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power 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.