Kestra Advisory Services LLC Buys 23,279 Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 20.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 139,464 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,279 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $18,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,496,895 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,053,417,000 after acquiring an additional 828,588 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in American Electric Power by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,437,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,509,780,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514,865 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 14,661,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,690,659,000 after acquiring an additional 271,879 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,823,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,587,841,000 after acquiring an additional 83,285 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 10,626,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,225,381,000 after purchasing an additional 57,807 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AEP traded up $1.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $135.43. 3,220,907 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,694,446. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $131.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.97. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a one year low of $103.64 and a one year high of $140.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $73.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.52.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 10.21% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.54 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.120-6.420 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial cut their price target on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $147.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.38.

American Electric Power Profile

American Electric Power (NASDAQ: AEP) is a major investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is primarily engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, operating a diverse portfolio of power plants and an extensive high-voltage transmission network. AEP serves retail customers through its regulated utility subsidiaries and provides wholesale power and grid services across multiple regional markets in the United States.

Operations span the full utility value chain: AEP owns and operates generation assets that include fossil-fuel, natural gas, nuclear and hydropower facilities, and it has been adding renewable resources to its mix.