Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires New Stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,975,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at about $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 149.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in American Electric Power by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 2,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its stake in American Electric Power by 95.7% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 79,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,209,000 after acquiring an additional 38,684 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their price target on American Electric Power from $148.00 to $143.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $144.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial cut their price target on American Electric Power from $146.00 to $139.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on American Electric Power from $139.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $148.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, American Electric Power presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.19.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.3%

American Electric Power stock opened at $122.31 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $130.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $66.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.52. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a twelve month low of $105.70 and a twelve month high of $140.58.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.48 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $5.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.34 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 13.78% and a return on equity of 9.95%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.250-6.550 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is 65.18%.

About American Electric Power

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.