Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New $1.73 Million Investment in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 20,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,731,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 49,225,322 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,998,081,000 after acquiring an additional 425,649 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,983,393 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,311,000 after purchasing an additional 147,826 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 67.7% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,586,250 shares of the company's stock worth $210,055,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043,885 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at about $175,667,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in American Electric Power by 381.9% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,995,884 shares of the company's stock worth $171,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581,734 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total value of $440,820.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $580,140. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Greg B. Hall sold 5,880 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.25, for a total transaction of $518,910.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,385 shares in the company, valued at $563,476.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Antonio P. Smyth sold 4,898 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $440,820.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $580,140. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $90.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,431,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,145,226. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $89.11 and a 200 day moving average of $84.64. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.38 and a 12-month high of $93.44. The stock has a market cap of $47.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.53.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 14.60% and a return on equity of 11.23%. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.11 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 9th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on AEP shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $98.00 to $94.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on American Electric Power from $84.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of American Electric Power from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $73.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 6th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $86.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded American Electric Power from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $88.62.

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.