American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) Short Interest Update

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 18,048,525 shares, a decline of 20.3% from the December 15th total of 22,650,297 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,432,010 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.3 days. Currently, 3.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Currently, 3.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,432,010 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.3 days.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:AEP opened at $119.96 on Friday. American Electric Power has a 1 year low of $96.80 and a 1 year high of $124.80. The stock has a market cap of $64.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.63. The business has a fifty day moving average of $117.93 and a 200-day moving average of $114.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.69.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.81 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. American Electric Power had a net margin of 17.23% and a return on equity of 11.00%. The company’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. American Electric Power has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.850-5.95 EPS. Equities analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

American Electric Power Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.95 dividend. This is an increase from American Electric Power’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.93. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio 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 stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.07, for a total value of $575,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,898 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,980,082.86. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Electric Power

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 105.6% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,379,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,243,000 after purchasing an additional 2,763,328 shares during the period. Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in American Electric Power by 176.3% during the second quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 4,004,686 shares of the company’s stock valued at $415,526,000 after buying an additional 2,555,415 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 357.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,957,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,718,000 after buying an additional 1,529,662 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Electric Power by 118.2% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,585,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $286,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of American Electric Power by 26.8% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,084,813 shares of the company’s stock valued at $684,772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,279 shares during the period. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AEP shares. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $133.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Siebert Williams Shank assumed coverage on American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $137.00 price objective for the company. Williams Trading set a $137.00 target price on American Electric Power in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.13.

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.