Cambiar Investors LLC Acquires Shares of 358,017 American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Cambiar Investors LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 358,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,020,000. Cambiar Investors LLC owned 0.07% of American Electric Power as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 4,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 12.4% in the fourth quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 34,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,221,000 after acquiring an additional 3,865 shares in the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 62,353 shares of the company's stock worth $5,751,000 after purchasing an additional 23,829 shares in the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 487,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,990,000 after purchasing an additional 7,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AEP shares. Bank of America upgraded American Electric Power from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Scotiabank cut American Electric Power from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ AEP traded up $1.05 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $101.88. 3,165,874 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,312,690. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $95.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.21 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.31 and a 1-year high of $105.18.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 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.