American Electric Power Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:AEP)

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 421,115 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 15,416% compared to the typical volume of 2,714 call options.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $90.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.50. American Electric Power has a 1 year low of $69.38 and a 1 year high of $92.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $84.52 and a 200-day moving average of $81.22. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.23% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power will post 5.58 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, June 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.87%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in AEP. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. Guggenheim lowered American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho cut 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 report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on American Electric Power from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $88.14.

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.