Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Increases Stock Holdings in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 19.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,424 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 709 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 57.2% during the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 283 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 935.9% in the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 404 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Briaud Financial Planning Inc lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 52.1% during the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power during the second quarter valued at about $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on American Electric Power from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $91.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.27.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of AEP opened at $94.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $100.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market cap of $50.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.55. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $74.97 and a one year high of $105.18.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This is a boost from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.54%.

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.