Brokerages Set American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Price Target at $98.00

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $98.46.

AEP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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. Barclays cut their target price on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ AEP opened at $106.05 on Monday. 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 has a twelve month low of $79.16 and a twelve month high of $107.84. The company has a market cap of $56.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s fifty day moving average is $97.98 and its 200 day moving average is $98.37.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released 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 prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors 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 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.