Dodge & Cox Has $1.07 Billion Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Dodge & Cox lessened its position in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,575,220 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,285 shares during the quarter. Dodge & Cox’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,067,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AEP. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ bought a new position in American Electric Power during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AEP has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim raised American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $107.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $100.77.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

American Electric Power stock opened at $106.58 on Tuesday. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.16 and a 1 year high of $110.48. The company’s 50-day moving average is $104.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $56.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.43.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a net margin of 15.08% and a return on equity of 11.27%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.43%.

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.