Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Takes Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 39,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,015,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 10,177.1% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,982,444 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,399,000 after purchasing an additional 1,963,154 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 542.4% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,282,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $193,541,000 after buying an additional 1,927,234 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 221.9% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,715,346 shares of the company's stock worth $157,140,000 after buying an additional 1,182,451 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 578.2% during the first quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 975,000 shares of the company's stock worth $83,948,000 after acquiring an additional 831,235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in American Electric Power by 9.9% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,586,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $739,303,000 after acquiring an additional 776,965 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company's stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

Shares of American Electric Power stock traded up $0.99 during trading on Friday, reaching $96.40. 2,581,086 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,154,165. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1-year low of $74.97 and a 1-year high of $105.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.65. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $100.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.87. The company has a market cap of $51.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.55.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This is a boost from American Electric Power's previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 70.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AEP. Bank of America raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group raised their target price on American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $107.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.27.

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.