Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Lowers Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lessened its holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,164 shares of the company’s stock after selling 453 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $4,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 26.5% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,112,000 after purchasing an additional 7,066 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 91,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,476,000 after buying an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 71,568 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,601,000 after buying an additional 613 shares in the last quarter. Simmons Bank grew its stake in American Electric Power by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 71,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,549,000 after acquiring an additional 924 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 6,547 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP opened at $106.05 on Friday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.16 and a 52-week high of $107.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $97.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.38. The stock has a market cap of $56.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AEP. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Guggenheim raised shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.46.

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.