Stack Financial Management Inc Lowers Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Stack Financial Management Inc trimmed its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 16.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 164,511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,199 shares during the period. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $13,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 222.0% during the 3rd quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 304.8% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. JNBA Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 91.6% in the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded down $1.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $85.70. 861,661 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,731,062. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.38 and a 1 year high of $93.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $83.45 and its 200 day moving average is $80.33. The firm has a market cap of $45.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.51.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.26 by ($0.03). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 11.64%. The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.05 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.88 dividend. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.11%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank dropped their price target on American Electric Power from $92.00 to $86.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim cut American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on American Electric Power from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. UBS Group cut American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $86.00 to $83.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.08.

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.