GWN Securities Inc. Makes New Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

GWN Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $976,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 26,902,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,760,223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114,954 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,524,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,280,655,000 after purchasing an additional 352,588 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 18.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,866,952 shares of the company's stock worth $704,549,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,163 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,644,349 shares of the company's stock worth $427,009,000 after purchasing an additional 100,578 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in American Electric Power by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,844,201 shares of the company's stock valued at $354,551,000 after purchasing an additional 84,704 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AEP traded up $0.37 on Thursday, hitting $106.21. The company had a trading volume of 2,946,103 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,762,541. The stock has a market cap of $56.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $101.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.00. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.16 and a 1-year high of $109.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced 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 period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. Analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. American Electric Power's payout ratio is currently 66.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on AEP shares. Scotiabank cut shares of American Electric Power from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Bank of America raised their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $99.92.

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.