National Pension Service Buys 24,862 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

National Pension Service lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,919,442 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,862 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.36% of American Electric Power worth $215,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter valued at $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 149.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 185,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,251,000 after acquiring an additional 7,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $306,000. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $119.78 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $115.03. The stock has a market cap of $63.97 billion, a PE ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.32 and a 12 month high of $124.80.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.00% and a net margin of 17.23%.American Electric Power’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. Research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.39%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total transaction of $575,350.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,898 shares in the company, valued at $2,980,082.86. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $123.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.39.

American Electric Power Company Profile

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.