American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co reduced its holdings in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,280 shares of the company’s stock after selling 166 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Bank of New Hampshire purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Electric Power news, EVP Quinton S. Lies sold 10,141 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.68, for a total value of $1,041,277.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $991,683.44. This represents a 51.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Matthew Feinberg sold 8,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.94, for a total value of $829,387.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,707,116.12. This represents a 23.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,314 shares of company stock worth $3,508,293. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim boosted their price target on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $111.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $108.31.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $101.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $54.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $104.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. 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 quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.14. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.68% and a net margin of 13.73%. The company had revenue of $5.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. American Electric Power’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.68%.

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.