Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Grows Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 692.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,403 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,073 shares during the quarter. American Electric Power comprises approximately 1.0% of Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,970,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soroban Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 176.3% in the 2nd quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $415,526,000 after purchasing an additional 2,555,415 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 26.1% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,694,659 shares of the company’s stock valued at $381,510,000 after acquiring an additional 765,258 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in American Electric Power by 2.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,516,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,958,869,000 after purchasing an additional 653,712 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,802,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $809,557,000 after buying an additional 432,441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 22.8% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,894,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,582,000 after acquiring an additional 352,198 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP stock opened at $119.21 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $114.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.32 and a 12-month high of $124.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.67 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.63.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.81 by ($0.01). American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 17.23%.The business had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AEP. Citigroup boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH dropped their price target on American Electric Power from $124.50 to $117.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.39.

American Electric Power Company Profile

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.