American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $114.10.

AEP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their target price on American Electric Power from $112.00 to $108.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $117.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Evercore ISI set a $133.00 price objective on shares of American Electric Power and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $102.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $122.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, July 31st.

Insider Transactions at American Electric Power

In other American Electric Power news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.65, for a total value of $543,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 40,898 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,443,567.70. This trade represents a 10.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total value of $112,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,676 shares in the company, valued at $635,712. The trade was a 15.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 2.1% during the third quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 8,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in American Electric Power by 4,026.0% in the third quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 132,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,909,000 after purchasing an additional 129,315 shares during the period. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth $225,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in American Electric Power during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in American Electric Power by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 69,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,874,000 after buying an additional 1,759 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Electric Power Stock Up 1.4%

NASDAQ AEP opened at $115.66 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $111.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.85 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.48. American Electric Power has a fifty-two week low of $89.91 and a fifty-two week high of $115.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.16. American Electric Power had a return on equity of 11.55% and a net margin of 17.68%.The company had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. American Electric Power’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.570-6.770 EPS. Equities analysts expect that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Electric Power Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. American Electric Power’s payout ratio is currently 54.39%.

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.