American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $99.92.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AEP shares. 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 research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America increased their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $106.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.05. American Electric Power has a 52-week low of $79.16 and a 52-week high of $109.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.68 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

About American Electric Power

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.