Soltis Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 46.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,923 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 22,138 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $5,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stiles Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $202,000. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co purchased a new position in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth about $445,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 408.1% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,325,000 after buying an additional 92,213 shares during the period. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 3,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ AEP traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $85.08. The stock had a trading volume of 2,811,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,877,194. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $69.38 and a 1 year high of $94.86. The stock has a market cap of $44.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $82.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $4.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.12 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 11.04%. American Electric Power’s quarterly revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.05 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.54 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AEP shares. Guggenheim downgraded American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $81.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Mizuho downgraded American Electric Power from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $83.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Cfra restated a “buy” rating and set a $92.00 price target (up previously from $90.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $83.00 price objective (down from $84.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.08.

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.