American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC reduced its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 13.0% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,358 shares of the company’s stock after selling 948 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the first quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 222.0% during the third quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 75.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of AEP traded down $1.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $85.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,975,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,656,889. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $44.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s fifty day moving average is $83.53 and its 200 day moving average is $80.42. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $69.38 and a 52-week high of $93.56.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.12 billion. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 11.64%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Cfra reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $92.00 price objective (up from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. StockNews.com lowered American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $92.00 to $86.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.08.

American Electric Power Company 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.