Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its target price increased by Barclays from $95.00 to $106.00 in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on AEP. Bank of America lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $101.62.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $108.15 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $57.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50 day moving average of $105.09 and a 200-day moving average of $99.56. American Electric Power has a 1-year low of $84.28 and a 1-year high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 earned $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. TrueMark Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 46,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,177 shares in the last quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 12.4% during the first quarter. Prairie Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 140,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,392,000 after purchasing an additional 11,067 shares in the last quarter. EWA LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Finally, Buck Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter valued at $1,452,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.