BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Grows Position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its position in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 695.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,155 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 78,828 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $9,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 103 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in American Electric Power during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 52.1% in the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power during the third quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on American Electric Power from $109.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $99.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on American Electric Power from $111.00 to $104.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Two equities research analysts have 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 company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $98.00.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $97.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.22 and a fifty-two week high of $105.18. The business has a fifty day moving average of $99.11 and a 200-day moving average of $95.50. The stock has a market cap of $51.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.55.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.93 dividend. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $3.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is presently 74.55%.

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.