American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Bought by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 138.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,019 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,430 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 57,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,310,000 after acquiring an additional 3,288 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 23,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,206,000 after buying an additional 4,370 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 436.9% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $654,000 after buying an additional 5,771 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 136.6% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 13,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after buying an additional 7,918 shares during the period. Finally, Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 55.3% in the 4th quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 7,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $725,000 after buying an additional 2,800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.7%

AEP stock opened at $103.78 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $85.93 and a 52 week high of $110.48. The company has a market capitalization of $55.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $105.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The business had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $114.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.77.

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.