Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Purchases 400 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC increased its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $1,245,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AEP. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of AEP opened at $104.35 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $96.26 and a 200 day moving average of $98.04. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.16 and a fifty-two week high of $105.18. The firm has a market cap of $55.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.44.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 period last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 66.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AEP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $100.00 to $99.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $97.00 to $96.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Guggenheim upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $108.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded American Electric Power from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock 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, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, American Electric Power presently has a consensus 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.