Empower Advisory Group LLC Buys 30,159 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 4.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 740,654 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 30,159 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned approximately 0.14% of American Electric Power worth $75,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 57.2% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 935.9% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 404 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc lifted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 52.1% during the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 438 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Naples Money Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on AEP. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $107.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of 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 lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.27.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $93.00. 1,224,377 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,148,219. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.22 and a 1 year high of $105.18. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $100.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. This is an increase from American Electric Power's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.00%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.55%.

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.