American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Rating Increased to Buy at Guggenheim

Guggenheim upgraded shares of American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on AEP. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group upped their price objective 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. Barclays reduced their price target on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 target price (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.0 %

NASDAQ AEP opened at $97.47 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. American Electric Power has a 12 month low of $75.22 and a 12 month high of $105.18.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 74.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Austin Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its stake in American Electric Power by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 7,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of American Electric Power by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,212 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sonora Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,389 shares of the company’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.