American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Purchased by Versant Capital Management Inc

Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 200.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,626 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,085 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $178,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in American Electric Power by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Safeguard Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 3.0% in the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. SouthState Corp grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 6,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC increased its stake in American Electric Power by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,572,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its stake in American Electric Power by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 4,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $418,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total transaction of $1,041,277.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $991,683.44. The trade was a 51.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $103.15 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $104.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.93 and a 52-week high of $110.48.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. The firm had revenue of $5.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. American Electric Power’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on American Electric Power from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays upped their target price on American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $114.00 to $113.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $105.69.

American Electric Power Company 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.