Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Sells 290 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. decreased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,335 shares of the company’s stock after selling 290 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter worth $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AEP. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays decreased 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 report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $100.35 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market cap of $53.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.22 and a 12-month high of $105.18. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $95.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.70.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.55%.

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.