52,778 Shares in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Bought by Ellsworth Advisors LLC

Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 52,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,868,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI reduced 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. Bank of America raised shares of American Electric Power from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Scotiabank cut shares of American Electric Power from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded up $0.43 on Monday, reaching $97.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,728,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,164,280. The company has a market capitalization of $51.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a P/E/G 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 Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.22 and a 52 week high of $105.18. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $94.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $96.97.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. This is a boost from American Electric Power's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.