Ifrah Financial Services Inc. Purchases New Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Ifrah Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 42,422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,446,000 after acquiring an additional 14,029 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Electric Power by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 159,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,924,000 after acquiring an additional 64,880 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 231.2% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 107,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,715,000 after acquiring an additional 74,900 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 29.8% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 9,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $88.60. 3,332,412 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,215,932. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.38 and a 1 year high of $92.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average of $84.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $80.86.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.02. American Electric Power had a net margin of 14.60% and a return on equity of 11.23%. The company had revenue of $5 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.11 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.88 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AEP has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on American Electric Power from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $75.50 to $73.00 in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Guggenheim cut shares of American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $86.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $88.14.

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.