Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC trimmed its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 42.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,022 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,005 shares during the period. Marathon Strategic Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in American Electric Power by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 204,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,821,000 after buying an additional 33,118 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 304.1% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 70,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,548,000 after acquiring an additional 53,429 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Phoenix Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the fourth quarter worth approximately $214,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 12,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Trading Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ AEP opened at $97.49 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $97.11. The stock has a market cap of $51.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.54, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.56. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.22 and a 52 week high of $105.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be given a $0.93 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.82%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 74.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AEP. Scotiabank downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Evercore ISI lowered their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America raised American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $98.00 to $104.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.00.

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.