Certuity LLC Makes New $245,000 Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Certuity LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,657 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.84 on Monday, hitting $101.83. 2,770,820 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,437,045. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $95.69 and a 200-day moving average of $97.95. The stock has a market cap of $54.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.01 and a 52 week high of $105.18. 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 (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 13.48%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is 74.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AEP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America upgraded American Electric Power from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Barclays lowered their price objective on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Guggenheim raised shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.00.

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.