Machina Capital S.A.S. Acquires 11,548 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Machina Capital S.A.S. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 84.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,224 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,548 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. West Family Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth $256,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 462.1% during the third quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 52,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,958,000 after buying an additional 43,533 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in American Electric Power by 228.6% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 51,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,812,000 after acquiring an additional 35,938 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 9.0% in the second quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 26,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,723,000 after acquiring an additional 2,175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 5.9% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,802,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $809,557,000 after acquiring an additional 432,441 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $139.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $132.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $137.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.39.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $575,350.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $120.67 on Wednesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.46 and a 52-week high of $124.80. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.62.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.39%.

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.