Wellington Management Group LLP Has $1.64 Billion Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP - Free Report) by 14.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,778,968 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,091,420 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 3.33% of American Electric Power worth $1,639,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the third quarter worth $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AEP. Scotiabank cut American Electric Power from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $100.77.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

AEP stock traded down $4.63 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $104.48. The stock had a trading volume of 7,367,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,104,992. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.76 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.29. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.16 and a fifty-two week high of $110.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.31.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power's dividend payout ratio is 66.43%.

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.