National Pension Service Increases Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

National Pension Service increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 11.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,533,256 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 152,381 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $157,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in American Electric Power by 57.2% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.0% in the second quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 5,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.2% in the third quarter. Roanoke Asset Management Corp NY now owns 5,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton raised its position in American Electric Power by 2.2% in the second quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 5,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, First United Bank & Trust raised its position in American Electric Power by 17.1% in the third quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $98.40 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.65. The stock has a market cap of $52.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.55. 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.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. 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 3.78%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is 70.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Friday, September 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $107.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.43.

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.