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

American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEP) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $136.0952.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research raised American Electric Power from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $132.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $137.00 target price on shares of American Electric Power in a report on Thursday, December 18th.

Insider Activity at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.08, for a total transaction of $542,320.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,582,097.04. This represents a 8.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $177,602.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,025,798.60. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AEP. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake 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 worth $978,000 after acquiring an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in American Electric Power in the first quarter worth $320,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in American Electric Power by 149.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in American Electric Power during the 2nd quarter valued at about $113,000. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC grew its position in American Electric Power by 46.2% during the 2nd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 11,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 3,718 shares during the last quarter. 75.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Electric Power Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ AEP opened at $131.12 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $126.98 and its 200-day moving average is $120.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.33. American Electric Power has a one year low of $97.46 and a one year high of $135.00.

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. American Electric Power had a net margin of 16.37% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.24 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. American Electric Power has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.150-6.450 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that American Electric Power will post 5.87 EPS for the current year.

American Electric Power Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. American Electric Power’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.72%.

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.