Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 32,433 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lessened its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Rating) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 932,119 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,433 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $88,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,000. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 91.3% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 57,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,423,000 after acquiring an additional 27,262 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 45.1% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $259,000. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 74.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of AEP opened at $86.00 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $91.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a market capitalization of $44.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $80.30 and a 52 week high of $105.60.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.14 by ($0.03). American Electric Power had a net margin of 10.10% and a return on equity of 10.57%. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.57 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. American Electric Power’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.26 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.83 per share. This represents a $3.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.79%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, insider Nicholas K. Akins sold 51,034 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.44, for a total transaction of $4,564,480.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 143,547 shares in the company, valued at $12,838,843.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Nicholas K. Akins sold 51,034 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.44, for a total transaction of $4,564,480.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 143,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,838,843.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 884 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.99, for a total transaction of $80,435.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $667,047.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 72,020 shares of company stock worth $6,491,906 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AEP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of American Electric Power from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $108.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Cfra boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.19.

American Electric Power Company Profile

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American Electric Power Co, Inc engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission and Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco, and Generation and Marketing. The Vertically Integrated Utilities segment covers the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers.