American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 482,673 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,833 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $44,517,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $101.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.95. The company has a market cap of $54.19 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.01 and a 12-month high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 13.48%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AEP. Scotiabank lowered American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lowered their price objective on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.00.

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.