American Electric Power Company, Inc. $AEP Shares Purchased by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its stake in American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,900 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in American Electric Power were worth $2,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $978,000 after buying an additional 1,095 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in American Electric Power by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 21,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,191 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in American Electric Power by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in American Electric Power by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 16,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,731,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 8.2% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 103,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,307,000 after purchasing an additional 7,876 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on AEP. Mizuho upped their target price on American Electric Power from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $116.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $126.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.50.

American Electric Power Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AEP opened at $121.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $113.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.98. American Electric Power Company, Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.91 and a 1 year high of $122.85.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 11.29%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that American Electric Power Company, Inc. will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $0.95 per share. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.39%.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.52, for a total value of $587,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 35,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,218,732.96. The trade was a 12.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $112,672.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $635,712. The trade was a 15.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 11,006 shares of company stock worth $1,243,522. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

American Electric Power Company Profile

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.