American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $141.2381.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AEP shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $144.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of American Electric Power in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total transaction of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. This trade represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total value of $542,320.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. The trade was a 8.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in American Electric Power by 72.2% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 330.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Electric Power in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 7,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

American Electric Power Price Performance

AEP opened at $131.59 on Wednesday. American Electric Power has a twelve month low of $100.72 and a twelve month high of $139.44. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $131.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.01. The company has a market cap of $71.60 billion, a PE ratio of 19.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.56.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.07. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 10.21%. The firm had revenue of $6.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.54 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 55.80%.

American Electric Power Company 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.