American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $125.8529.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on American Electric Power from $114.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $126.00 price target on American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, October 30th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Benjamin G. S. Fowke III sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.58, for a total transaction of $607,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 30,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,756,578.84. This represents a 13.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,006 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.00, for a total transaction of $112,672.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 quarter, insiders sold 16,006 shares of company stock worth $1,851,422. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On American Electric Power

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AEP. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 0.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,467,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,444,057,000 after purchasing an additional 197,998 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in American Electric Power by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,922,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,253,827,000 after buying an additional 406,445 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 24.3% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 22,102,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,415,144,000 after buying an additional 4,323,569 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 30.4% in the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 19,631,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,145,130,000 after buying an additional 4,570,941 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 2.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,352,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,379,532,000 after acquiring an additional 285,000 shares in the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Stock Down 0.4%

AEP opened at $121.58 on Wednesday. American Electric Power has a 12 month low of $89.91 and a 12 month high of $124.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $64.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $116.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $110.26.

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

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th will be paid 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.39%.

About American Electric Power

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.