Argent Trust Co Raises Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Argent Trust Co increased its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,141 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,613 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co's holdings in American Electric Power were worth $7,022,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on AEP shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $100.77.

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American Electric Power Stock Up 1.4 %

AEP stock traded up $1.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $104.63. 3,582,789 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,174,035. The stock has a market cap of $55.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.16 and a 1 year high of $110.48. The firm's 50 day moving average is $104.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.30.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

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.