German American Bancorp Inc. Purchases 322 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

German American Bancorp Inc. grew its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,869 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the quarter. German American Bancorp Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $294,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 57.2% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 52.1% in the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 438 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.1 %

American Electric Power stock opened at $96.80 on Thursday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $75.22 and a one year high of $105.18. The company has a market cap of $51.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $99.34 and a 200-day moving average of $95.39.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. This is a boost from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AEP shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.27.

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.