GDS Wealth Management Decreases Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

GDS Wealth Management reduced its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,144 shares of the company’s stock after selling 666 shares during the quarter. GDS Wealth Management’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 108,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,122,000 after purchasing an additional 7,950 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 2,994 shares during the period. WealthBridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $246,000. Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 7,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $721,000 after acquiring an additional 3,005 shares during the period. Finally, Security National Bank acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at $130,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on AEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 target price (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Scotiabank lowered American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.0 %

AEP opened at $99.36 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.22 and a 52 week high of $105.18. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $97.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The company has a market cap of $52.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 74.55%.

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.