Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $44.82 Million Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 436,845 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,586 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of American Electric Power worth $44,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hodges Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter worth $1,615,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,731,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $171,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,581,734 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC raised its position in American Electric Power by 646.9% during the first quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 261,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,510,000 after purchasing an additional 226,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 21.7% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 582,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,170,000 after buying an additional 103,771 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ:AEP traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $100.69. 3,111,829 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,139,581. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The company has a market capitalization of $53.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.54. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $100.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.29. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $72.01 and a 12 month high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 13.52%. The company had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.74 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AEP. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $81.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $98.43.

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.