JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) Stock

American Electric Power (NASDAQ:AEP) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $139.00 to $141.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 4.79% from the stock’s previous close.

AEP has been the topic of several other research reports. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of American Electric Power from $121.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of American Electric Power from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Argus increased their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of American Electric Power from $128.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of American Electric Power from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $148.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $136.81.

American Electric Power Price Performance

NASDAQ AEP opened at $134.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.39. American Electric Power has a twelve month low of $97.46 and a twelve month high of $137.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.14 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.45.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at American Electric Power

In related news, EVP Phillip R. Ulrich sold 4,106 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 42,263 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,582,097.04. This trade represents a 8.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kelly J. Ferneau sold 1,351 shares of American Electric Power stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 15,410 shares in the company, valued at $2,025,798.60. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of American Electric Power

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEP. Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of American Electric Power by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 30,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,994,000 after purchasing an additional 969 shares during the period. Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of American Electric Power by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,675,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Balboa Wealth Partners acquired a new stake in American Electric Power in the 1st quarter valued at $482,000. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in American Electric Power by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its position in American Electric Power by 118.2% in the first quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 86,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,273,000 after acquiring an additional 46,585 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 75.24% of the company’s stock.

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.