Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $102.38 Million Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,109,997 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,913 shares during the quarter. American Electric Power makes up approximately 1.0% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of American Electric Power worth $102,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 165,124 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,229,000 after buying an additional 9,535 shares during the period. FWG Holdings LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 2,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 818 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 128,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,892,000 after acquiring an additional 22,120 shares during the period. United Community Bank lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 4,011.0% in the 4th quarter. United Community Bank now owns 20,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,896,000 after purchasing an additional 20,055 shares during the period. Finally, Lifeworks Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $293,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 2.0 %

AEP stock opened at $104.62 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $99.21 and its 200-day moving average is $98.64. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.16 and a twelve month high of $109.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Scotiabank lowered shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America upgraded shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.