Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Has $1.18 Million Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,800 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of AEP stock opened at $106.96 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 company has a market capitalization of $57.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.50. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.16 and a 12-month high of $109.52. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $102.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.10.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 15.08%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th were issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank cut American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.77.

American Electric Power 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.