American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) EVP Sells $1,041,277.88 in Stock

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares in the company, valued at $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ:AEP traded down $0.01 on Tuesday, reaching $103.77. 1,153,163 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,196,928. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $105.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.39. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $85.93 and a 12 month high of $110.48. The firm has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. 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 (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. The company had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup raised their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Guggenheim boosted their target price 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. Barclays upped their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.77.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.