American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Holdings Trimmed by Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.

Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd. trimmed its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 230,750 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,750 shares during the period. American Electric Power makes up about 8.5% of Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $21,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new position in shares of American Electric Power during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Up 0.8 %

AEP opened at $101.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $95.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $97.95. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.01 and a 12 month high of $105.18.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.41% and a net margin of 13.48%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 74.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on American Electric Power from $104.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $102.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Scotiabank downgraded 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. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.