American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 38.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,249 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,229 shares during the period. American Electric Power accounts for 2.5% of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $426,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,208,000 after purchasing an additional 7,176 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 6,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in American Electric Power by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 45,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,666,000 after purchasing an additional 980 shares during the period. Finally, MONECO Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $202,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP traded up $2.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $88.39. 2,577,244 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,753,856. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $83.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.67. The company has a market cap of $46.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.36. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $69.38 and a 52 week high of $92.89.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 11.04%. The business had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $92.00 to $86.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $75.50 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, March 8th. UBS Group cut American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Cfra reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 target price (up from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.79.

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.