LVW Advisors LLC Increases Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

LVW Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,924 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the quarter. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 3.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 640,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,667,000 after buying an additional 19,081 shares in the last quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,404,000. J2 Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $419,000. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 244.3% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 294,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,217,000 after acquiring an additional 208,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $303,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AEP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock opened at $97.25 on Monday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.22 and a 52 week high of $105.18. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.91. The firm has a market cap of $51.75 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This is a positive change from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 74.55%.

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.