LSV Asset Management Purchases 74,900 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

LSV Asset Management grew its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 231.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,300 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 74,900 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $8,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 304.8% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. JNBA Financial Advisors increased its stake in American Electric Power by 91.6% during the 3rd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 479 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.2 %

AEP stock opened at $89.87 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $84.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.04. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $69.38 and a 1-year high of $92.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.37 billion, a PE ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a net margin of 14.60% and a return on equity of 11.23%. The firm had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.92%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Scotiabank increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Cfra restated a “buy” rating and issued a $92.00 target price (up previously from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim cut shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $88.14.

American Electric Power Company 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.