Simplicity Solutions LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Simplicity Solutions LLC lowered its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,127 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,285 shares during the period. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 during the period. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter worth $28,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $80.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.81. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.38 and a fifty-two week high of $94.73. The company has a market cap of $42.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.51.

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

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 9th were given a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.35%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on AEP. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $75.50 to $73.00 in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Mizuho downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 11th. UBS Group downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $86.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on American Electric Power from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.15.

About American Electric Power

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.